


Panic

by spaghettideviant



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-07-15 18:46:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 99,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16069073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaghettideviant/pseuds/spaghettideviant
Summary: A surprise engagement calls for some partner changes at the Detroit Police Department, and Gavin Reed could not be more miserable.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> If you need music to listen to while you read this fic, put on the smiths  
>  
> 
> Basically, its been three years since the android revolution (this is rated mature for swearing because there's a lot)
> 
> follow me on twitter so we can discuss fic @cannibalspaghet

**Dec 1, 2041**

**10:54 pm**

_“Panic on the streets of London-”_

Snow falls silently against the road, a cascade of white landing in a soft patter on the pavement. The wind is still for what seems like the first time in a long time, allowing a clear view of the sign above the food truck. The stand is closed, it’s windows covered and doors shut. The sign, though unlit, states the name very clearly. _Chicken Feed._

The only light besides the rays emitted from the moon, is the soft glow coming from the headlights of a very beat up car. Despite the snow, it’s windows are rolled down, allowing the music blasting out of the radio to sound out into the cold night.

_“Panic on the streets of Birmingham-”_

Two figures stand before the closed food truck, both dressed warmly for the weather. The taller of the two figures keeps his arms folded against the snow, grumbling to himself. He whips his head up, long gray hair hitting him in the face briefly as he glares at the other man. “What the fuck are we doing out here, Connor?”

The other, Connor, seems unfazed by the cold, shrugging his shoulders openly. The older man shivers angrily, teeth chattering. “It’s freezing. And look!” He gestures towards the old car, groaning. “Damn snow’s getting inside and ruining the interior. Let’s just go home, okay? It’s warm there. Sumo’s there.”

_“I wonder to myself… Could life ever be sane again?”_

Connor perks up at the mention of Sumo, a soft smile creeping onto his features. He sighs, dismissing the promise of a warm home and stepping towards his companion. “I love you, Hank.”

Hank, taken aback, blinks in confusion. When Connor doesn’t continue, he laughs, shaking his head and lowering his voice, embarrassed. “I love you, too, Con. You know that.” He sighs, still shivering. “And, I appreciate you reminding me, but I’m freezing my ass off. You can tell me how much you love me in the car. _With the heater on_.”

_“The Leeds side-streets that you slip down-”_

Smiling again, Connor takes another step forward. “Do you know why this place is important to me?”

The LED on his temple glows a cool blue, almost unnoticeable as snow falls against his face. “Fuckin-A, Con, I don’t know!” Hank unfolds his arms, balling his hands into angry fists. “Can we just-”

_“I wonder to myself…”_

“This place…” Connor trails off, looking towards the food truck and grinning thoughtfully. “You asked me why I looked and sounded strange.” Hank opens his mouth to interject, but Connor continues. “I told you that CyberLife decided on my appearance and voice to facilitate my integration.”

Hanks nods, remembering. Connor turns back to him, laughing a little at his shivering. “This place is important to me because… we had our first real conversation here.”

_“Hopes may rise on the Grasmere-”_

“We come here very often. Entirely _too often_ if I’m honest.” Connor’s LED flashes a quick yellow, then returns to blue. “If only you would listen to me about what this food is doing to your health.”

Hank laughs, his breathing shaky from the cold. “You’re always attacking me about cholesterol. I guess this place started that.”

_“But Honey Pie, you’re not safe here.”_

Connor nods. “That was before, wasn’t it?”

Furrowing his brow, it’s Hank’s turn to take a step forward. “Before? Before what?”

_“So you run down to the safety of the town-”_

“Before I woke up.” His smile fades, making Hank’s eyebrows droop at the sight. “I was still a machine, then. Still thought all I had was solving the deviancy cases. I like being here despite the health hazards and the gambling because… Our first _real_ conversation was one of the ones that helped me realize who I am. When I became a deviant, I thought back on that day fondly.” He laughs again, though his gaze stays distant. “I chased Kara across a highway and almost died.”

Hank frowns, remembering that, too. “Yeah. _Almost._ You scared the shit out of me then, Con. I told you not to but you did it anyway.”

_“But there’s panic on the streets of Carlisle-”_

Connor finally closes the distance between them, the soft smile returning to his freckled face. He puts his hands over Hank’s shoulders, pulling a little closer. “That was the first time anyone cared if I died. One of the reasons I love you is because you actually _care_ about me.”

Hank sputters, but doesn’t speak as Connor runs his hands down the length of his arms, warming him for a second before taking both of his hands. Connor presses the back of each hand to his lips, kissing Hank’s hands softly and eliciting a bright red blush across Hank’s face. “You care.” He mumbles again, grinning and looking up at the shivering man before him.

_“Dublin, Dundee, Humberside, I wonder to myself…”_

“I know that it’s cold, but I wanted to do this at a place that means a lot to me.” Hank’s brow stays furrowed, still utterly confused as Connor leans forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I need you to know how much I care about you, too. How important you are to me. How… if anything ever happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Hank sighs, inching closer to Connor. “Connor, I… I know, don’t worry. You mean a lot to me, too.”

“I want…” Connor continues, kissing Hank’s cheek again and observing the blush still growing. “I need you to know that I love you, and I want nothing more than to be with you. Forever.”

“Con,” Hank says cautiously, still unsure of what’s happening. “You don’t have to-”

The words die in his throat as Connor leans in to kiss Hank’s mouth, allowing Hank to finally warm up a bit in the severe chill. He smiles softly against Hank’s lips, humming to himself in time with the music. “I want to marry you.”

_“Burn down the disco-”_

“Wh-what?” Hank jerks his head back, blinking furiously. “Connor, what… What did you just say to me?”

Connor laughs, the sound reverberating through the snow. “I want to marry you!” Still, Hank says nothing. “I wanted to ask you here. Not anywhere else. Someplace that means a lot to me, because… Because that first conversation was where I realized that I felt something outside of my programming. Some kind of warmth that I didn’t know what it was until after I woke up. After I realized I loved you.”

Hank gasps silently as Connor releases his hands, sinking to a knee in front of him.

 _“Hang the blessed DJ-_ ”

“Connor, I-” Hank stammers, taking another step forward. His shoulders still shake with the cold, his arms raising to fold across his chest again.

Snow lands softly in Connor’s hair as he kneels, the lights from the car highlighting his dimples as he smiles widely. “We’ve been together for a year and half, but... “ He laughs, shutting his eyes for a brief moment as he LED swirls back to yellow. “Hank, I’ve wanted to ask you to marry me since our first date.”

_“Because the music that they constantly play-”_

“I tried to wait longer. I _really_ did, but I heard you laugh this morning in the break room. Detective Collins said some sort of joke and you laughed so hard you choked on your coffee and coughed for five minutes straight. Everyone thought you were having a stroke.”

Hank blinks, shaking his head. “There is… absolutely nothing romantic about that.”

_“It says nothing to me about my life-”_

Connor laughs again, opening his eyes against the snow. “No, there isn’t.” He sighs, scratching the back of his neck. “I just… everyone was panicking and trying to help you. Officer Miller tried to perform the Heimlich Maneuver because he thought you were dying. It was truly a horrific sight.” Hank frowns. “But… I thought you looked beautiful. Even choking and dying and spitting coffee onto my face, I thought you were the prettiest person I’ve ever met.”

Sniffing, Hank wipes at his eyes with the sleeve of his coat. “Con…”

_“Hang the blessed DJ-”_

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Hank. And, even though I hate my creators for oppressing my people for as long as they did, I still thank CyberLife every single day for assigning me to you. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Connor wipes his own eyes, his LED flashing a bright red. “After the revolution, I spent a year working with Markus and the others to make sure that androids were actually free. We shut down the sex clubs, helped androids find homes and apartments, and at one point we went door to door making sure that no human was keeping their android.

“I loved helping, and still, whenever Markus asks, I go back when he needs me. But that year I spent away from you was horrible. I hated being away from you, and I didn’t really know why.” Connor bites his lip, thinking about what to say next, and blinks up at Hank hopefully.

_“Because the music they constantly play-”_

“Then, I came back and enrolled in the police academy, spent a few months as an officer then finally took the detective's exam. Only then was I happy again, because I could work alongside you. You’re the reason I woke up, became a deviant, realized who I am. I owe my life to you, and… I want to spend my life with you. I know that it’s sudden, and you don’t have to say yes but… _I_ want to marry _you._ ”

Tears streak Hanks cheeks, dissolving some of the snow from his beard. He wipes his eyes again, not even caring about the cold or his own embarrassment anymore. “Okay.”

_“On the Leed-sides streets that you slip down-”_

“Okay?” Connor asks, finally standing.

Hank exhales, running a trembling hand down his face. “Okay, I’ll marry you.”

_“Provincial towns you jog ‘round-”_

Connor practically jumps with excitement, startling Hank with his ferocity and almost knocking Hank down as he closes the distance between them. He kisses Hank almost forcefully, a sob escaping his throat. Hank leans back to wipe the tears from Connor’s eyes, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. “I love you so much, Con.”

Lanky arms snake up to rest behind Hank’s neck as Connor kisses him again, his LED shining the brightest blue Hank had ever seen. “I love you, too.”

_“Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ,”_

The snow continues to cover them as the wind picks up, covering them almost completely. Hank doesn’t shiver anymore, instead allowing his hands to find Connor’s lower back. Connor smiles softly as he pulls away, looking up at Hank and brushing a lock of gray hair out of his face. Hank smiles too, small wrinkles forming around his eyes as he kisses Connor’s cheek. They hold each other through the growing storm, neither of them caring about the snow filling their car or Hank’s inevitable cold.

Despite the weather, they’re happy. They’re engaged and they’re happy.

_“Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ,_

 

_Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ,_

 

_Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ...”_


	2. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin gets an unpleasant surprise at work

**Dec 4, 2041**

**11:03 am**

The loud thrum of a running engine slowly cuts out as a key is removed from the ignition of a motorcycle. The rider removes his helmet, using his foot to carefully prop the kickstand against the pavement of the parking lot. He steps off of the bike, stretching his arms out and yawning deeply. Shaking his head to try and remove some of the sleepiness from his eyes, he walks away from the bike, his helmet under his arm.

The doors to DPD’s central station slide open with ease, making way for the biker. He stretches again, maneuvering his way through the civilians cluttered in the lobby. _Typical_ . He thinks to himself, nodding slightly to the receptionists and making his way towards the bullpen. _No one ever just calls 911. Assholes have to bring their shit straight to us._

He rolls his eyes as the glass gates part for him, keeping his head down as to not attract the attention of any of the officers leaned against the wall. He’s already missed the day’s briefing, and tries desperately not to draw any attention to himself. The entirety of his body screams for coffee, and as he sets his helmet down on his desk, he notices the clutter of people by the break room.

 _Not yet, I guess_. He thinks, sighing and sitting down. Usually, he would kick his feet up and scroll through his phone, but he wants to at least make it look like he’s working. He pokes at the keyboard in front of his terminal, starting it up and turning to glare at the small white board on his desk. He frowns, seeing that it had been tampered with. Reaching over to put the cap back on the dry erase marker, he sighs as he sees that the numbers have changed.

Gavin: 54

Connor: 76

“Ugh,” He mumbles, turning back to his terminal. “Didn’t he _just_ get to seventy on Friday?” He pulls up some case files, staring at them on the screen but not processing what they were. He just needed to look busy. _Fuck doing actual work._

“Hey Gavin!”

Gavin startles as a hand slaps down on his desk, cursing to himself as he finds a figure looming over his desk. “Jesus, Tina, you scared the shit out of me.”

Tina laughs, moving the helmet to the floor to hop up and sit on the desk. A chair wheels towards them, joining the inevitable conversation about Gavin being late. “Yo, Chris,” Tina begins, pointing at down at the whiteboard. “You see this?”

Grinning, Chris nods. “Yeah. He changed it this morning. Something about a guy snatching a purse and running right back to his gang.” He laughs, clapping Gavin on the shoulder sympathetically. “Six dudes. All carrying tons of Red Ice.”

Gavin groans, dropping his head to his desk. “Fucking android.”

Tina and Chris exchange a look, then Chris pokes the back of Gavin’s head. “Okay, dude. Why are you so late?”

“I was investigating something.”

Chris raises an eyebrow, not buying it. “So, what? You getting hammered last night had nothing to do with this?”

Not raising his head from the desk, Gavin groans. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t hammered.”

“ _Right_ … Well,” Chris laughs a little, rolling his chair a little closer. “If you remember correctly, _Detective Reed,_ ” He uses his title sarcastically, wiggling his eyebrows to anger Gavin further. “I had to leave the bar kind of early to get home to my kid. And you were _pretty drunk_ when I left.” He tips his head. “Officer Chen, did you see if _Detective_ Reed got hammered?”

Tina laughs, almost purring. “Well, well, well, Officer Miller. I don’t know if I would use the term hammered.”

“You wouldn’t?”  
“Nope! What I definitely saw was Detective Reed _investigating_ ten shots and getting into a car with a stranger.”

Gavin sits up finally, folding his arms to pout. “Will you both _shut the fuck up_?”

“So, Officer Chen,” Chris laughs, mirroring Gavin’s actions to make fun of his pout. “If you wouldn’t use the term hammered, what would you call that?”

She thinks for a moment, then laughs loudly, smacking her hand on the desk again. “Well, I believe Detective Reed got piss ass drunk.”

They laugh for a while, turning to Gavin and waiting for him to respond. He rolls his eyes. “I told you, I was conducting an investigation, okay? I’ll log it later.” Tina glares at him, frowning intensely and making him uncomfortable. He sighs. “This… Investigation may or may not have involved two men.”

Chris laughs again. “Two men? What were they doing?”

“They…” Gavin sighs again, knowing he can never keep any secrets from his two best friends. “Some things happened, and there was alcohol involved, yes…” He trails off, standing from his desk. “And I may or may not have had to get a taxi to my apartment to brush my teeth this morning.”

Tina squeals with excitement, hopping off the desk and trailing behind Gavin to the break room. Chris turns back to his desk, quickly getting sucked back into his work like always. “So,” She begins, practically bouncing with joy. “What’s he like?”

“I don’t remember.” Gavin frowns at her, making his way to the coffee machine with a sigh of relief. “Didn’t catch his name.”

She practically cackles, leaning against the machine and folding her arms. “God, Gavin, you’re wild. Give me the details! You know I love a good ho story.”

Gavin shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t really remember much. I was piss ass drunk, right?” They both laugh, and Gavin exhales deeply as the coffee slowly drips into a paper cup. “What happened with that girl?”

Sighing, Tina shrugs. “She was nice and all, and she bought me a drink, but she had a huge group of friends. I think they were college kids.” She smirks. “I might be a little crazy, but not crazy enough to hook up with a chick that much younger than me.”

“God, you say that like we’re old.”

“We _are_ old.”

“I’m not!” Gavin reaches for the coffee cup, not waiting for the liquid to cool before taking a long swig. He winces at the burn, letting the hot beverage sting his gums before swallowing. “I’m thirty-nine. Not old.”

Tina snorts, standing from the machine and walking towards the break room’s exit. “That’s pretty fucking old, Gav.” She pauses, looking at the glass wall separating the captain’s office from the rest of the precinct. “Hey, what do you think they’re yelling about?”

Gavin leans against the doorway, taking another sip of the scalding coffee. He watches as Lieutenant Anderson paces back and forth, waving his hands around angrily at Captain Fowler, who stays seated at his desk. There’s someone else in there, too, and Gavin rolls his eyes when he realizes who it is. “Is there anything he’s _not_ involved in?”

“Who? Connor?” Tina shrugs. “I don’t know why you don’t like him. He’s nice.” She glances up at Gavin, shaking her head. “Is it because he’s better than you?”

“He’s not better than me.”

“Really? That whiteboard says something else, then?”

Gavin mumbles to himself, folding his arms and glaring at the captain’s office. “Maybe Anderson’s getting fired. That’d be fun.”

Tina leans against the other side of the doorframe. “Nah, they’re too close. Maybe Connor’s doing a really important and dangerous mission or something.”

“You’re just saying that to mess with me.”

She snorts again, nodding. “Yeah I am.” She smirks, pursing her lips together mischievously. “‘ _You are a police Lieutenant. If I ask you to tell me about Gavin Reed’s sex life, you’re going to tell me.’”_

Laughing, Gavin turns to her, seeing that her Fowler impression is pretty spot on. He sighs, playing along with her little game, guessing how their conversation is going. “‘ _Why’re you doin’ this to me, Jeffrey? You know how much I hate the gays._ ’”

“Your Hank is very southern.” Tina laughs, then continues, following mostly along with Captain Fowler’s lips. “ _You know what, Hank? If you keep that shit up, I’m going to have to fire you. I need you to find out about the ho stories from every person in this place._ ’”

Hank stops pacing inside the office, turning to look over at Connor, whose head bobs ever so slightly. Gavin coughs, attempting the most mechanical voice he can muster while moving his arms robotically. “‘ _Don’t look at me, I can not have any ho stories, Lieutenant._ ’”

Tina laughs, mimicking Gavin’s impression. “‘ _Oh shit. Does. Not. Compute. Must. Shut. Down. Soon._ ’”

Gavin slowly shuts down, leaning forward and letting his voice fade out. “ _I was just learning to love_.” He trails off, startling as Tina leans into him as she cackles, holding him for support. Gavin laughs too, glad to finally feel more awake. Whether it was the coffee or the joking around, he wasn’t sure.

Tina jabs his side, nodding her head at him and quietly telling him to get back to work. That was something Gavin always liked about both Tina and Chris. They were both goofy as hell and loved to joke around, but they were pretty good at staying focused and getting back to work. Gavin, on the other hand, usually opted to stay distracted. Even now as he makes his way back to his desk, coffee in hand, he has every intention of kicking his feet up and playing on his phone.

He settles in his chair, making sure that there was still work pulled up on the terminal so he looked busy. He pulls his phone out, then focuses his gaze back on the whiteboard. Sighing, he reaches over to the damned thing, uncapping the marker and drawing lewd doodles around Connor’s name. Gavin laughs to himself, so focused on making his opponent's side of the board look ridiculous that he doesn’t hear Captain Fowler’s door open and close.

Nor does he hear the light, mechanic footsteps that approach quickly.

“Hello, Detective Reed.”

Gavin groans at the sound of the most annoying voice in world, rolling his eyes and not looking up. “What the fuck do you want, tin can?”

A throat clears. _Like he even needs to do that. Fucking piece of plastic._

“Actually, Captain Fowler wants to see you in his office.” Gavin looks up, finally meeting Connor’s gaze, surprised to find a scowl fixed on his features. “I was supposed to come get you.” Gavin opens his mouth to interrupt, but Connor shushes him quickly. “Trust me, I didn’t even want to speak to you. Come on.”

Reluctantly, Gavin stands, glaring at Connor as he puts the cap back on the marker. The android glances down at the whiteboard as he waits, his LED flashing yellow. “You saw the update, I assume?”

Gavin sneers. “Sure did.” He gestures back at it once they begin walking to Fowler’s office. “You see my update?”

“You mean the penises? Yes. Yes, I saw them. Very mature.”

Rolling his eyes again, Gavin folds his arms, ignoring Connor the rest of the way to the glass door. He steps inside, letting Connor shut the door behind them. Gavin blinks a little, confused, then notices that Hank is still there as well. He sighs, sitting down in the chair next to Hank, not looking back at Connor as he stands behind them quietly. “What’s up?” He asks, dumbly.

Fowler sighs, rubbing his eyelids with his thumbs. “Nice of you to join us, Detective. Why are you so late this morning?”

“I, uh,” Gavin stammers, trying to find an excuse.

“You know what? I don’t even care.” Fowler gestures at Hank, who folds his arms in anger. “You wanna explain this, or should I?” Hank ignores them, so Fowler continues. “Okay. Gavin, you don’t have a partner for any of your open cases.”  
Gavin blinks. “No, no I don’t.”

Fowler sighs, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve assigned Detective Connor to you. He’s going to be your partner from now on.”

Laughter floods the room as Gavin almost falls forward out of his chair, baffled by the absurdity of what he just heard. He wipes his eyes, dabbing the tears away and looking back up at the Captain. Fowler sits, unphased, so Gavin turns to Hank. His face falls into his hands, leaning forward in his chair in anger. Finally, Gavin whips around to face Connor, who shrugs.

“You’re… you’re joking, right?” He blinks back at Fowler, his brow furrowing and his laughter fading out in between heavy breaths.

Fowler shakes his head. “I’m afraid not. Unfortunately, due to recent events, Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Connor cannot work together anymore. It would create a conflict of interest. You understand.”

Gavin snorts. “Conflict of interest? How? What happened?”

The Captain waves to Hank, who sits up and shakes his head, a frown still fixed on his face. Fowler tries waving to Connor, who steps forward to speak but Hank whips around very quickly. “No.” Gavin turns to watch Connor raise his hand to protest, but Hank insits. “No.”

Reluctantly, Gavin turns back to Fowler. “Well then, I guess I can’t tell you that.” Fowler sighs, running his hand back across the top of his head. “I’m going to assign half of their cases to you so you can work them with Connor.”

Sputtering, Gavin stands. “No.”

“ _No?_ ” Fowler, repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. No. No fucking way.” He folds his arms, shifting his weight to one foot. “Absolutely not. You can’t just do that. I don’t give a shit what’s going on with them, don’t put the fucking tin can with me.”

Fowler groans. “Reed, you’re the only other detective that needs a partner, and Connor hasn’t been here long enough to be on his own.”

“The _only_ other detective? What about Ben? He doesn’t have a partner.”

“I said the only other detective that _needs_ a partner.” Fowler rolls his eyes. “Detective Collins is experienced and doesn’t have to have a partner if he doesn’t want one. You, on the other hand,” He leans forward, intimidating Gavin. “You’re young, reckless, disruptive and stupid.”

Gavin sneers. “Well, yeah, but-”

“I won’t fight you on this. I’m your boss, you do as I fucking say.” Fowler leans back in his chair again, returning his gaze to his terminal. “Now, all of you get back to work.”

Hank is the first to storm out, slamming the door behind him. Gavin wonders why he’s so upset, when it’s Gavin who has to put up with the robot now. He shoots Connor a disgusted look before stomping out as well, ignoring everyone staring at him and walking right past his desk and out of the bullpen.

A few civilians look at him curiously, wondering what happened to make him leave so suddenly, but he ignores them too. He doesn’t stop walking until he gets outside, trails across the parking lot towards his bike and leans against it. Gavin fumbles around in the pockets of his jacket, searching for his cigarettes. Sighing, he pulls one out and shoves it between his teeth, still searching like crazy for the lighter.

He ignores the sound of footsteps beside him as he finally lights the cigarette, inhaling deeply and enjoying the burn of the smoke filling his lungs. “Detective Reed.”

Gavin rolls his eyes, scoffing. “Get away from me.”

Connor steps towards him, inching closer despite Gavin’s protests. “I really think I should explain what’s going on.”

“Yeah? Well, don’t, okay? I don’t care.” Gavin turns, facing his back towards his new partner. _Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick._ He thinks, shutting his eyes and hoping Connor would just die.

“Gavin, really. If you would just listen, I-”

“Don’t call me that.” Gavin whips around, sticking his finger in Connor’s face. “It’s Detective Reed to you, Toaster. Don’t talk to me like we’re friends because we’re not. I’m a human, you’re an android. You’re not supposed to speak to me at all, just do as I say. Now, be a good robot and fuck off.”

Connor blinks at him, his LED flashing red for a moment before returning to yellow and staying there. “Detective Reed,” He begins, using Gavin’s title like an insult. “You can’t speak to me like that. According to the Android Statute 1358.7792, all androids must be treated as if-”

“Yeah, I don’t fucking care.” Gavin shoves Connor’s shoulder, pushing him away and turning back around to take another drag of his cigarette. “Just, go back inside. I’ll deal with you later.”

Gavin waits, arms folded, eyes fixated out on the road. He doesn’t turn around, just continues to smoke. Finally, Connor huffs, turning on his heel and heading back inside. Sighing, Gavin glances over his shoulder to make sure he’s alone again. _God,_ he thinks, inhaling the smoke deeply. _Why does shit like this always happen to me?_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**9:32pm**

Liquid fire burns Gavin’s throat as he sets his shot glass on the table in front of him, wincing at the bite of alcohol. Beside him, Chris hacks, coughing through the shot and wheezing some of the liquor onto the table. “Fuck,” he groans, shaking his head.

Tina, across from them, laughs at  them both as she takes the shot effortlessly, not even phased by the strong taste. Gavin glares at her for a moment before waving his hand to one of the waitresses, silently asking for more shots. Chris shakes his head once she leaves. “No. No more, Gav. I’ve gotta stop.”

“Fine, you big baby. I’ll drink your shot, too, don’t worry.” Gavin flicks the back of his neck, making Chris flinch. “You really gotta loosen up, y’know.”

“Loosen up?” Tina chuckles. “More like get fucking trashed.”

Gavin laughs too, smiling widely as the waitress returns with a tray of three shot glasses. He takes the first shot greedily, then locks eyes with Chris as he takes another, his mouth adjusting to the burn. Tina smirks and slides the third shot to him as well, which he downs quickly and slams the glass against the wood. Chris kicks Tina under the table. “You’re just trying to make him crazy.”

She shrugs. “Maybe.” Turning back to Gavin, she snaps her fingers at him, gaining his attention. “Hey, dumbass.”

Gavin blinks, trying to hone his eyesight in on Tina, cursing himself for taking all three shots at once. “What?”

“You wanna tell us what all the screaming was about now?” She leans back in her chair. “I guess they really were talking about you in there, huh?”

He nods. “Yeah, uh…” Gavin rolls his eyes drumming his fingers on the wooden table. “I’m on toaster patrol.”

The others blink at him, confused. He sighs. “Plastic Detective is my ‘partner’  now.” He scrunches his fingers, trying to make air quotes. The alcohol makes his movements slow, and it just looks like he’s having some sort of seizure with his hands.

“He’s not working with Lieutenant Anderson anymore?” Tina asks, genuinely curious.

Gavin shakes his head. “Fowler said, uh” He hiccups. “Conflict of interest. Didn’t say why, though.”

Tina tilts her head to the side, a gesture that Gavin finds kind of annoying. “I wonder what they mean by that. Usually conflicts of interest are just about couples.”

“Couples?” Chris leans back, folding his hands together on the table. “Like, spouses and stuff?”

“Yeah,” Tina nods. She laughs, a wicked grin forming on her lips. “Maybe they’re boning. That’d be some hot gossip.”

The alcohol threatens to come back up Gavin’s throat and spill all over the table. He swallows hard, trying desperately to blink away _that_ image. “Toaster and Anderson? That’s disgusting, Tina.”

Chris taps his chin thoughtfully. “Besides, Lieutenant Anderson had a son, right? Doesn’t that mean he’s straight?”

“Even if he wasn’t, no one in their right mind would ever fuck an android.” Gavin sneers. “I don’t even wanna think about how nasty that is.” He nudges Chris, trying to push him out of their booth. He eyes the center of the club, and the people dancing to the entirely too loud music. “Let’s go have fun before I puke.”

Chris stands, letting Gavin out. “I would, but I should probably get home.” He checks his watch, wringing his hands together. “Gotta make sure Damian gets to sleep, you know.”

“Ugh,” Gavin sticks his tongue out. “Children. Gross.”

“Not gross.” Tina corrects him, standing and wrapping her arm around Chris’ neck in a quick embrace. “Get on home then, Papa. Do your thing.”

Smiling, Chris waves to Gavin, then leaves some money on the table before turning and heading towards the exit. Tina grabs Gavin’s arm, yanking him towards the center of the club. “You wanted to have fun, right? Let’s dance.”

 _At least she’s having fun._ Gavin thinks, letting himself be pulled. This whole night, he’s been in a shitty mood, and hasn’t really been able to appreciate his best friend. She looks more like herself when she’s not in uniform. Tight jeans and a light grey sweater, a simple combination that she makes look good. Gavin laughs when she starts dancing, shaking her hips to the music.

He sighs when he starts to dance with her, stumbling a bit from the alcohol. She laughs at him, shoving his shoulder and holding his hand to steady him. Gavin wonders how he managed to make such a good friend. He knows that he’s an asshole, he always has been, but for some reason Tina doesn’t care. Chris on the other hand, gets a little standoffish sometimes and will ignore him if he says something too rude. Especially so after his son was born. Something about being a father makes him more responsible.

But, Tina? Tina’s been Gavin’s best friend for years now. He smiles at the thought, that someone doesn’t care about him being stupid and reckless, mostly because she is too. She parties too hard and a is little too mean for her own good. She flicks her head to the right, and Gavin follows the motion, his eyes landing on a girl not too far from them, dancing her ass off and raising her drink in the air. Gavin nods, releasing Tina’s hand and continues to dance as she struts over to the girl to dance with her instead.

 _Maybe that’s why we’re okay with each other._ Gavin thinks, shutting his eyes to hear the music. _Two gay assholes against the world._ He snickers, not remembering when he backed into someone. “I’m sorry,” He begins, then turns to se the man behind him, who smirks. Gavin shrugs at him, turning around and starting to dance against him. He catches Tina’s gaze, who laughs when the man’s hands find Gavin’s hips.

Quickly, Gavin forgets about the things Fowler said that day, losing himself in the music and the arms of a stranger.

  
  
  
  


**Dec 5, 2041**

**4:52 am**

Gavin startles from sleep as a headache sears through his brain. He groans, blinking away the unpleasant dream he was having and staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. _Fuck_ , he thinks as his brain pulsates with a migraine, knowing that since he didn’t remember leaving the club, he was in for a killer hangover.

He shifts, trying and failing to roll over and see where he ended up. His whole body aches, sharp pains running up his spine as he tries to sit up and assess the situation. Gavin cracks his neck, groaning as he realizes that Tina’s going to tease him yet again today. He has no fucking idea where he is, but one look at the sleeping figure next to him is indication enough.

Standing up makes him wince, pain racking his body as he puts his weight on his feet. He stumbles around in the dark, trying to find his jeans when he hears the bed creak. He whips around, startled to see that the figure is awake. “Um… hi?” He waves sheepishly, then goes back to finding his pants.

“You leaving?” The figure cocks his head to the side, watching Gavin scramble. He runs a hand through his beard, yawning silently.

 _At least he’s cute._ Gavin thinks, finally yanking his pants from on top of a tall dresser. _How did they end up there?_ “Yeah,” He says, pulling his boxers over his feet ungracefully. “I uh… have to go to work.”

The stranger laughs a little, standing as well. Gavin watches him stretch for a second before shaking his head and leaning on the dresser to pull on his jeans. “This early? It’s not even five.”

Gavin laughs a little. “No, I… I know that. I just, have to go home and change and drive all the way back to work which is, like, way in the city. And I have no idea where I am so I don’t know how long it’s gonna take to get a taxi and-”

“So you’re just gonna bounce?”

Gavin shrugs, knowing that he’s always been blunt. “That’s the plan.”

Laughing, the figure steps towards him. “Well, I mean.. I could… make you breakfast first? And you can borrow some of my clothes, I can drive you to work.”

“Um… no that’s okay, I can handle that.” Gavin stands upright, grabbing his shoes and shoving them onto his feet. “Thanks for the offer, though.” He starts to look around again before the figure hands him his sweater. “Thanks.” He pulls the fabric over his head. “You’re uh… you’re still naked.”

The figure chuckles. “Yeah this is my house. Also, I thought you’d stay.” Gavin stands, shaking his head and opening his mouth to apologize before the stranger cuts him off. “Can I atleast get your number or something?”

 _Ah, fuck_. Gavin thinks, hating whenever he hooks up with someone and they get clingy. “Uh… no. I kind of figured this would be a one time thing.”

He feels sort of bad when the figure looks down, seemingly sad. Gavin notices the tattoos running down his chest and covering his neck. “Can I give you my number? That way if you’re ever around, we can…”

Gavin sighs. “Yeah, okay. That’s fine.” He fishes for his phone, thankfully still with his wallet in his jeans. He hands the phone to the guy, standing and shifting his weight from foot to foot, still in pain. “Uh… I’m Gavin, by the way.”

The figure laughs, entering his number into Gavin’s contacts and handing the phone back. “Shane.” Nodding, Gavin really starts to get uncomfortable. He looks towards the door, and Shane gets the hint. “Oh, right, yeah.” He walks over to the door with Gavin, unbelievably _still naked_. He opens the door, a sad smile fixed on his face. “I really hope you’ll call me, Gavin.”

Gavin says nothing, instead pointing his fingers at him and stepping out of the door and into the hallway of an apartment complex. When the door closes behind him, he leans against the wall heavily. _Finger guns? Am I that lame?_ Hesitantly, he stands, turning to descend the stairs leading outside.

The morning air is crisp, and Gavin realizes that he either left his jacket inside or discarded it somewhere at the club. He definitely is _not_ about to go back inside and check. Pulling his phone out again, he looks around to find the address of the apartment building to call a taxi. He squints at the sign out front, confused. _Wait, that’s the same street as…_

He peers across the street through the snow, his eyes landing on exactly what he thought it was.

_What the fuck?_

Groaning, he stomps across the street, glad that there aren’t any cars. He looks up at the building before him, then across the street at the adjacent complex. _Only I could manage to hook up with someone that lives across the street from me. Fucking fantastic._ Gavin decides that he is definitely not looking forward to running into this guy when he leaves for work in a few hours.

He pushes open the door to his building, blinking in the harsh light and nodding to the security guard as he passes to the elevator. Gavin mashes his hand against the screen on the wall, waiting impatiently for the slow thing before the elevator doors open. He steps inside immediately collapsing against the wall of the elevator. On the ride up, he checks all of his missed texts. They’re all from Tina.

**_You’re hella drunk so please be safe k?_ **

**_Also I’m gonna go with this chick so if I’m not at work tomorrow, that means she murdered me. Find her if she does_ **

The next text is a picture of a license plate.

**_I’m serious, Gav. Run this if I’m not there_ **

**_Really, though. Be safe_ **

**_Love ya don’t die_ **

Gavin chuckles, putting his phone back in his pocket and groaning when he has to stand up and walk from the elevator to his room. He fumbles for his keys, unlocking the door and wincing as his headache only gets worse at the sound of his cat meowing fervently.

“Jesus christ, Bean, shut up.” Gavin nudges the cat with his foot, moving her out of his way so he can step inside and flick the lights on. She keeps meowing and he groans, stomping into the kitchen to find her food bowl. He kicks his shoes off, standing on his tiptoes to reach the cat food on top of the cabinets. If he kept the food any lower, she’d get into it, but it still inconveniences him every time he has to basically jump for it.

His headache surges again when the food hits the metal bowl, and he rolls his eyes when Bean doesn’t even start to eat it. “What do you want?” He looks to her water bowl. “You’re fine.” She meows again, and again, and _again_ . Gavin practically growls. “Use your words, fuckwad. What do you _want_?”

She keeps meowing, and Gavin gets ready to meow back at her before his cell phone rings. He rolls his eyes and tells her to shut up again before he picks up the phone. “This is-”

“Hey Gav, it’s Tina.”

He blinks, looking at the clock on his stove. It’s only a little bit after five. “What’s up? You okay?”

Tina sighs through the phone, clearly shaking her head. “I don’t know. Can you come get me? I don’t feel like calling a cab.”

“Yeah, sure.” Gavin nudges Bean again when she keeps meowing, walking towards his bedroom to get away from her. “Where are you?”

Tina sighs again. “I don’t know. Somewhere downtown. You don’t have to come right away, but…” She pauses, letting Gavin hear the sound of a car pass. _She’s outside._ “Can you stop by my place and grab my stuff for work? Then, we can get breakfast or something.”

Gavin smiles to himself, flinging his closet open and shuffling through his clothes to find something warm to wear. “Yeah, sure. I’ll change really quick then head over there. Text me when you figure out where you are.”

“Okay. You’re the best.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Bean meows again, having followed Gavin, making him meow loudly back at her when he hangs up the phone. He changes quickly, pulling on clean clothes and an old jacket that smells a lot like smoke. He pats down his clothes from the night before. _That’s what I’m missing._ He thinks as he throws them into the hamper.

He moves to his bed to pet Bean on the head, smiling down at her as she finally shuts up. His head still hurts, along with the rest of his body, and he moves to the bathroom to find some painkillers. He looks at his reflection. Though his clothes are clean, he still looks completely disheveled. Sighing, he combs his fingers through his hair, then attempts to smell his breath.

He retches, then decides that brushing his teeth is probably more important than fixing his hangover.


	3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Gavin work their first case together.

**Dec 5, 2041**

**6:30am**

_ 8 Hour Stasis Complete _

_ System Initialization… _

_ All Systems OK _

_ Ready _

Connor wakes up with a sigh as he realizes that he’s still atop his favorite pillow.

His fiance’s chest.

_ Fiance. _ He doesn’t think he’ll ever get use to how amazing that word sounds. The new word brings a new kind of meaning to his life. One that feels entirely warm and sweet and filled with love.  _ My fiance _ . Connor thinks, running his hand over the tattoo covering the soft chest. He smiles, shutting his eyes for a moment as he listens to his fiance’s steady heartbeat.

Eventually, that word will become a new word with an entirely new meaning. Something with even more love and happiness. Another word, one that Connor thinks suits their relationship better than any other word he could find in any database.

_ Husband _ .

He hums to himself at the sweetness of that word. Oh, how he longs to be able to say it. Opening his eyes, he rolls his body carefully away from the sleeping man beside him, unraveling his arms from Hank’s torso and untangling their legs. Connor sits upright, still smiling down at Hank fondly before standing slowly, stretching out his artificial limbs.

Connor wiggles his toes against the soft carpet as he always does in the mornings, appreciating the softness of it. He drags his feet as he wanders to the closet, feeling the softness deep in his sensors. The light of his LED reflects onto the closet’s contents, painting all of the clothing a bright blue. He takes his time picking out what to wear, not needing to turn the lights on as he dresses. Connor’s eyes wander back to Hank, who rolls over in his sleep. Restless.

It won’t take very long for him to wake up. Connor makes sure that his stasis ends exactly at 6:30 every morning. And, from the amount time they’ve slept in the same bed, Hank has gotten used to the weight of Connor on top of him, arms and legs curled around his body and head pressed against his heart. It’s become what’s normal for them. When Connor wakes up, he lets Hank sleep in. From experience, Connor knows that it takes Hank exactly twenty-five minutes and forty-one seconds for him to wake up, too, not being able to sleep without Connor’s weight almost crushing him.

Connor settles on black slacks and a white button up shirt. Simple, but will still seem elegant once he puts a tie on. He mixes it up a bit with his socks, rummaging through the dresser and finding some grey ones, covered with small little dogs. Connor smiles down at the little Dachshunds, then exits their bedroom.

In the kitchen, Connor’s socks pad lightly against the tiled floor, wandering over to the sleeping Saint Bernard in the middle of the floor. Connor shakes his head. “Sumo, you know you have a bed, right?” The dog’s ears perk up at the sound of Connor’s voice, but his eyes stay closed. Connor sighs. “One day you’re going to wake up in pain from being on the floor for so long. Then, you’ll wonder why you never listened to me.” 

Connor folds his arms, slinking over to the front door and looking down at the shoes lined neatly against the wall.. He slips his feet into Hank’s slippers, which are much larger than any of Connor’s shoes and a million times more comfortable, and grabs the leash from the small table beside him.

_ That _ wakes Sumo up the rest of the way, and he quickly bounds over to Connor, tail wagging sleepily behind him. The android smiles softly, leaning over to attach the leash to Sumo’s collar. “I still can’t find your sweater,” Connor says, opening the door and letting the cold morning air inside. “I’m going to have to get you a new one if it keeps snowing like this.”

The dog doesn’t respond, instead pulling against the leash to drag Connor outside. He only walks Sumo far enough for him to go to the bathroom, not wanting him to get a cold.  _ Can dogs even get sick? _ Connor thinks, then decides that he should just treat Sumo like he  _ could  _ definitely get a cold, just in case.

Sumo shakes snows out of his fur once back inside, making Connor chuckle quietly. The dog bounds back to the kitchen, now energized and ready for the day. Connor, follows, kicking off the slippers and crossing the threshold into the kitchen. He flicks on the light, then goes to grab some breakfast for Sumo. The dog is almost  _ too _ excited for his food, and waits for Connor to finish pouring the bits into his bowl while licking his lips hungrily. Connor holds out a hand once he’s done, and Sumo knows that this means ‘ _ not yet.’ _

Smiling down at the large dog, Connor takes his hand away, laughing loudly when Sumo buries his face in the bowl like he hasn’t eaten in three years. Connor shakes his head, then opens the fridge, pulling out the things he needs for breakfast and placing them on the counter. He quietly opens a package of bacon, reaching into a cabinet to grab a skillet. 

While the bacon begins to sizzle on the stove, Connor crosses to the table, pulling out a chair with his leg and reaching for a small notebook.  _ His planner. _ He takes a second to admire the small book, remembering how excited he was when Hank gave it to him last January. He needs a new one each year, and Hank found one that for 2041 that was covered in pictures of dogs.  _ I love dogs. _ Connor thinks, nodding a quick hello to the pictures before opening to the front page. 

His smile becomes a grin when he sees the goofy photo he taped beside his contact information. Hank and Sumo smile up at him from the picture, both sweaty and covered in sand. Connor glances out of the window, seeing the snow starting to fall a bit harder. He misses summer, and the beach. Even though it’s still early, Connor knows that he wants to get married in the summer, somewhere sunny and tropical. Not rainy and gross like Detroit.

Connor flips to the end of the planner, secretly excited to finish another one. He keeps the others from years past on the shelf in the living room, proudly displaying Connor’s organization. Sure, he knows he can set reminders in his head, and he doesn’t really  _ need _ to keep a planner of any kind. But, doing so makes Connor feel more human. Something about writing things down feels more normal than logging them in his hard drive for later use.

Even though he’s a deviant, Connor still likes to set objectives and goals for himself. Stay organized and focused. Making notifications in his head that pop up in his vision reminds him of before, when he was just a machine. Connor doesn’t like who he was back then, and it’s still hard to remind himself that  _ that _ isn’t who he is. Who he ever was.

He shakes his head, dismissing the self-deprecation and finding the pages dedicated to the current week. He focuses on the plans written down, excited for the rest of the week. 

_ Tuesday-Painting Experiment with Markus _

_ Thursday-Remember to call Kara! _

_ Saturday- Possible get together? Discuss with Markus _

_ Sunday- Drinks with Niles, Therapy with North _

Along with Tuesday’s reminder, Connor quickly jots down:  _ Buy new sweater for Sumo. Also treats because he is a good boy. _ He’ll stop by the pet store after work on his way to see Markus this evening. Connor stands when the bacon begins to really crackle, and flips the strips carefully with a fork. He looks over his shoulder when he hears the bedroom door creak open, then glances at the clock on the oven when Hank stumbles sleepily into the bathroom. 6:57.

Connor grabs another, smaller skillet to place on the stove beside the other, then turns on the coffee pot. He cracks an egg into the empty pan, then another, letting them sit before turning back to the counter and opening the loaf of bread. With the timer on the toaster set, Connor returns to the stove, turning off the burner with the bacon and grabbing  a spatula for the eggs. He smiles when he hears footsteps in the kitchen, humming quietly when large hands find his hips, trailing to his stomach and pulling him away from the stove.

Connor leans against Hank, shutting his eyes for a moment. “Good morning, My Love.”

The hands release him, letting him get back to the eggs. Hank turns, leaning against the counter next to the stove. “ _ ‘Morning _ .” He mumbles, running a hand through his beard. He glances from the breakfast to Sumo, who has made his way to the feet of his owners. “Smells good, Con.” Connor moves to the cabinet, locating an old mug and setting it on the table. Hank sits, letting Connor fill the mug with the coffee before adding some sugar. “Had a dream about you.”

“Did you?” Connor perks up even more, never ceasing to be fascinated by the concept of dreams. Being an android, he can’t dream, and  _ loves _ to hear every detail from Hank’s dreams. “What was I doing?”

Hank shakes his head as Connor sets a plate and silverware in front of him, moving the bacon from the pan to the plate with a fork. “Don’t remember much.” He keeps mumbling, still not entirely awake. “We were sitting on the couch, watching something. Halloween, I think.”

Connor chuckles, finishing the eggs and moving them to Hank’s plate, too. “So… really, you dreamt about Michael Myers. Not me.”

Shaking his head again, Hank shoves a piece of bacon into his mouth, breathing out when he realizes that it’s still hot. “Nah. You were distracting me from the movie.” He winks, and Connor smiles again, sinking down into the chair across from Hank and flipping through his planner again. “I think it’s been too long since we watched that.”

“It’s December,” Connor starts, tapping the pen to his lips in thought. “Not really the time to watch a horror movie.”

Hank laughs, taking a sip of his coffee. “What? So you only wanna watch Christmas shit?”

Connor shrugs. “Yes. It’s the time of year.”

“Well.. Maybe we’ll watch A Christmas Story when you get back from your thing tonight.” Hank finishes eating in silence, drinking the coffee and slowly starting to become more coherent. When he stands, returning to their room to get dressed, Connor keeps writing little reminders in his planner, trying to keep his thoughts organized. 

Eventually, Hank leaves to get dressed, and Connor moves back to the small table by the front door. He grabs a tie, tying it quickly around his throat and tightening it so it rests higher on his neck. Then he moves for his belt, buckling it and reaching into the drawer in the table to grab a pair of handcuffs, his badge, and place the gun in its holster. He admires the badge for a second before clipping it to the from of his belt, displaying it proudly.

To other androids, it was a bit weird that Connor wanted to return to the work he was made for. But, for Connor, he knows that he isn’t doing the same work at all. Now, he has a badge, and works on  _ actual _ cases. He doesn’t just follow Hank around and chase deviant androids. Now, he investigates murders and interrogates perps how he wants to, not how his program makes him. Sure, he still has to be assigned to a human partner for his first two years, but Connor doesn’t mind that part.

In addition, he also gets to carry a gun. Connor remembers how things were before, and how whenever he touched a gun he had to make a point of taking the ammunition out and handing it to someone else. It was illegal for androids to even  _ touch _ weapons, and now that Connor owns and keeps several throughout his house… He feels more important. Maybe that’s strange, but Connor just likes having guns. He especially likes having one on display. It makes him feel important and intimidating. Like human law enforcement.

Hank joins him by the door, dressed much warmer than Connor and placing his own gun and badge on his hip. While Hank puts on his shoes, Connor checks his hair in the mirror. His hands linger over his LED, knowing that he would seem much more human without one, but that he didn’t really have the heart to part with the small thing. After they’re both armed and ready to leave, they throw on their coats and say quick goodbyes to Sumo, who has moved from the kitchen to lay on the couch.

Hank turns to Connor as he opens the door. “You okay? You seem a little distracted.”

Smiling, Connor leans forward to plant a kiss on Hank’s lips, lingering there for a moment before pulling away. “I’m great, My Love. Just thinking.”

“Oh, okay…” Hank touches his lips for a second, then tilts his head down to hide how quickly his cheeks turn red. “Then let’s go.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**1:32 pm**

“Just ask him, Con.”

Connor whips his head to look back across his desk at Hank, narrowing his eyes. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just-”

“You know that you can’t go alone.” Hank talks around his sandwich, not caring about the mustard sticking to his beard. “You gotta stop puttin’ this shit off. You’re gonna have to work with him eventually. You wanna question the guy? Go tell Reed.”

Sighing, Connor shakes his head, turning back to his terminal to keep working quietly. He’ll just write a report about it and transport the notification to someone else. It doesn’t matter how interesting he thinks the investigation will probably be. He doesn’t want to work with Detective Reed at all. Connor groans as Hank’s foot finds his shin under the table. “Hey, I-”

Hank gestures with his sandwich towards Reed, who sits with his feet propped up on his desk, showing something on his phone to Officer Chen. “He’s not busy. Just go over there.”

Connor opens his mouth to protest but Hank kicks him again, lowering his voice so no one else will hear him. “Baby. I love you. You’re overthinking. Just. Go.” Connor looks around, making sure that no one heard him. Sure, Captain Fowler knows about their relationship, but Hank doesn’t want anyone else to know until it gets closer to the wedding. Frowning, because he still doesn’t understand why  _ he _ can’t tell people but Hank can call him ‘Baby’ at work, Connor stands, turning to walk over to the last person he wants to talk to.

Officer Chen smiles at him. “Hey.” 

“Hello,” Connor smiles, not caring that Reed doesn’t even acknowledge him. “Hello, Detective. Seeing as we’re partners now, I would like to go-”

Reed holds up a hand, still staring at his phone. “Look at this, Teen.” He tilts the phone at Chen, who laughs. “How can someone be so hot? That should be illegal.”

She laughs. “Swipe right, then. See if you match.”

They go on like that for a few minutes, forgetting that Connor is even standing there. Connor turns to walk away, but Hank frowns at him, finally wiping the condiments out of his beard. Sighing, Connor turns back to Reed. “Detective Reed, I have received a notification about a person involved in ‘suspicious android activity’ downtown. I have found his name and address and would like to go ask him a few questions.”

Officer Chen elbows Reed, and he finally looks up, groaning. “What?”

“I have received a notif-”

“I heard you the first fucking time, Toaster. I meant, what the fuck do you need me for, then?”

Connor blinks. “You- you’re my partner now. As a free android, I have a two year trial period in this job, and cannot investigate anything without a human accompanying me.”

“Okay,” Reed scoffs, turning back to his phone and swiping left on the screen. “Take Lieutenant Anderson.”

“I’m on lunch!” Hank calls from across the room, gaining Reed’s attention.

“And, we’re not partners anymore.” Connor adds, smiling gratefully back at his fiance before turning back to Reed. “You’re my partner, and you’re not doing anything right now.”

Sighing, Reed whispers something into Officer Chen’s ear before he swings his legs down, standing and placing his phone in his pocket and his hands on his hips. Officer Chen stands too, returning to her own desk. “Okay, but I only have my bike.”

Connor smiles. “I have a car, Detective. I can drive.”

“Oh.” Reed sighs, folding his arms. “Okay.”

They exit the precinct in silence after grabbing their belongings, not speaking to each other at all. Connor is secretly grateful for the silence, definitely not wanting to talk to Reed more than he has to. They reach the parking lot, and Connor crosses to Hank’s car, pulling his set of keys out of his coat pocket to unlock the doors. Reed gives him a pointed look once they’re inside. “This is… You know how to drive?”

“Yes,” Connor smiles, buckling his seatbelt and putting the key in the ignition to turn the heater on. He can sense Reed’s shivering. “Lieutenant Anderson taught me. I think that actually driving a car feels more normal than letting a car drive me around, you know?”

Reed frowns, then returns his gaze to his phone, continuing to swipe on the screen quickly. “So, what exactly is ‘ _ suspicious android activity’ _ anyway? Some android vandalizing some shit?”

“Close, but no.” Connor puts the car in drive, pulling out of the parking lot with ease. “According to Android Statute 147.38A, humans are not allowed to purchase Thirium 310 in large quantities. If a human enters a store with the intent to purchase more than one pint, the employee is supposed to refuse service and contact authorities with a description of the suspect. We’re going to speak with a man who purchased exactly one pint of Thirium from four different stores as soon as they opened this morning.”

“Huh,” Reed looks out the window, thinking for a moment before, “Why can’t humans by blue blood?” 

“After the revolution, it became illegal because Thirium is one of the main ingredients used in Red Ice.” Connor frowns a little. “There were several cases of humans buying a lot, so the statute was put in place to stop them from making drugs. However, because of the statute, there have also been a lot of cases where a human killed several androids to take the Thirium from them since they couldn’t purchase it legally.”

Reed nods, turning his attention back to his phone. They drive the rest of the way in silence.

  
  
  
  


**2:15 pm**

Connor knocks on the door in front of them, taking a step back to wait patiently. He busies himself with adjusting his badge, making sure it’s on display before also checking the gun on his hip.  _ This should be interesting, _ he thinks, looking down at Detective Reed, who shifts his weight from foot to foot anxiously. 

When he raises his fist to knock again, Connor is surprised when the door opens before them. A man stands behind the door in his pajamas, his arms folded and his posture straight despite the bags under his eyes. Connor notes the traces of thirium coating his fingers, and feels his own heartbeat quicken. He does a quick scan, identifying that he is the man they’re looking for.  _ John Burgess, 25. _

“Hello. Can I help you?”

Connor smiles. “Yes. My name is Detective Connor, and this is Detective Gavin Reed.” Reed waves. “We’re with the Detroit Police Department. If you don’t mind, we would like to ask you a few questions about a purchase you made early this morning.”

Burgess shuffles, nodding his head. “Um, sure. Sure. Come in.” They cross into the apartment, and Connor does a quick scan. The place is clean, no signs of Thirium anywhere other than on Burgess’ fingers. “Can- can I get you anything?” 

Reed shrugs, and Connor shakes his head. “I think we’re okay. Thank you.” They sit on the couch, waiting for Burgess to sit across from them in a chair. He shifts anxiously, and Connor notes how his eyes dart to a door across from them. “So,” Connor begins, still smiling. “We have reports saying that you bought four pints of Thirium this morning.” 

No need to beat around the bush. Connor likes to be straightforward. He doesn’t note any change in demeanor from the suspect. He was expecting this. “Yes, I did.” Burgess shifts again, folding and unfolding his legs. “I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to buy it all from one store, so I went to a few different places.”

Blinking, Connor tries to process this. He wasn’t expecting him to admit it so openly. Reed chimes in then, also confused. “You know that it's illegal for humans to purchase-”

“More than one pint, I know.” Burgess looks down at his hands, finally standing. “Are you going to arrest me? Because if not I have to get back to her.”

“You have to get back?” Connor exchanges a glance with Reed. “To whom?”

Burgess sighs. “I’ll show you. Actually, maybe you can help me? I have no idea what I’m doing here.” 

Reed laughs uncomfortably. “What the fuck?”

“Sarah. She’s in-” Burgess gestures to the door, still shifting. “My girlfriend. She fell off a bridge, and one of her panels was open or something and I think a bunch of water got into her wiring.” Connor tries to say something but the man keeps going. “I can’t afford to take her to the android hospital, but she needs medical attention. I bought the Thirium thinking that it would help, but I don’t know shit about androids.”

Connor nods, standing too, despite Reeds confused rambling. “May I see her?”

Burgess nods, too, quickly crossing to the door and allowing the detectives to step into his bedroom. He wasn’t lying. An android lays, sprawled on the bed, her synthetic skin flickering and revealing parts of her chassis. Connor moves to her quickly. “She’s badly damaged. Do you have the cable to connect her to a CPU?” The man nods again, quickly running from the room. Connor rolls up his sleeves, trying to assess the situation.

The water must have evaporated, because none of her mechanisms seem to be wet. Connor moves her shirt, placing his hands against her stomach to open the panel there. Now that he’s getting a closer look, he can’t see any water damage at all. He furrows his brow, standing upright as Burgess returns with the cable and a small laptop. Connor thanks him, then plugs the cord into a port from her open panel and connects to the computer, turning it on and letting the screen flood with her coding.

“I don’t think this is water damage.” Connor sighs, moving away from the laptop. He decides that she needs a quick reset, and reaches forward to the back of her neck, opening the panel there. He finds the button he needs, and the laptop screen goes dark for a few seconds before Connor presses the button again, rebooting her. He looks over at the screen, looking at the code now. It’s more clear. Sure, the coding of a deviant is very jumbled and filled with random  _ Ra9 _ ’s, but it’s more readable now. “She had a virus.”

“A virus?” Burgess sputters. “Like… malware or something?”

Connor nods, then turns back to the android as her eyes blink a few times. He holds his hand out, revealing his own chassis invitingly. She continues to blink as she takes his hand, her memories mixing with Connor’s as they interface. He sees her life flash before him, assisting medical examiners, protesting peacefully alongside Markus, getting her first job, meeting Burgess, falling in love. 

Standing on a bridge with her guard down, a group of men approaching, getting beaten, thrown over the bridge into the river below. Connor releases her hand, having seen what he needed to see. One of the men, though masked, inserted a flash drive into her neck. They gave her some kind of violent malware. He waits for her to calm down for a moment as he explains what happened to the others.

The android blinks up at him still, a smile returning to her face. “Thank you, Connor. That really sucked.” She sits up, reaching out to hold Burgess’ hand. “They just put that thing in my neck and that’s all I can remember.” She turns to Burgess, smiling. “I’m okay now.”

Connor stands, wiping some Thirium off of his fingers. “I  _ am _ going to have to fine you for the Thirium.” Burgess nods, expecting this, too. “But, I’m going to look into this personally. See if I can identify those men and find out what that virus is and what it does.”

Burgess thanks him, and nods to Detective Reed, who still stands in the corner bewildered. Burgess presses his forehead to Sarah’s. “You scared me.”

The android smiles again. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m okay now.” Sarah pulls the cord out of her stomach panel, sitting fully upright and kissing Burgess’ cheek. She turns to Connor, thanking him again. “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way.”

Connor blinks, then realizes that she saw it when they interfaced. “Oh, thank you. We’re very excited.” He excuses himself then, allowing the two to be left alone as he and Reed exit the apartment. “I was right,” He says, smiling softly and unrolling his sleeves. “That  _ was _ interesting.”

Reed furrows his brow, folding his arms. “You saw the dudes that attacked her?” Connor nods. “That’s crazy. Could you see their faces?”

“Unfortunately not, they were wearing masks.” Connor taps his chin thoughtfully. “But, we have a lead for a new case! We can go around to some anti-android activists and see if they know anything or if any of them match what I saw.”

They exit the apartment building, snow immediately covering them and sticking to their hair. “Engaged to what?” 

“Hmm?” Connor stops in his tracks, still fishing his keys out of his pocket.

“She said ‘Congratulations on your engagement.’” Reed tilts his head. “Your engagement to what?”

Connor smiles. “To be married. While I saw her memories, she saw mine.”

Reed’s mouth opens like he’s going to ask something else, but thinks better of it, folding his arms and stomping the rest of the way to the car.”Let’s head back to the precinct, I’m fucking freezing.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**8:00pm**

Some people think that Hank is Connor’s best friend. Connor knows better than that, aware that to everyone else the two of them are probably just close friends, not lovers.  _ Husbands _ . Connor’s thoughts scream, making his face heat up a bit. According to Connor, his actual best friend is Markus. They did almost everything together after the revolution. Even now, when Connor has Hank and Markus makes political advances and communes closely to the president herself, they both make sure to clear their schedules when Markus is in town so they can spend time together.

If he was being honest, Connor thought that things would be awkward between them after what happened. He bases a lot of his social interactions around what he’s seen in movies. And, usually, when people break up in movies, they can’t be around each other anymore. Connor was really afraid that the same thing would happen with Markus.

To be fair, things were a bit awkward at first, but not with him and Markus. Things actually were only tough with Connor and  _ Simon _ , of all people, mostly because of Simon’s feelings for Markus and his fear that Connor had hurt the man he loved. In all actuality, Connor and Markus ended things mutually. A solid month of intimacy was good for both of them, sure, but they had always been better friends than anything else. 

Connor thinks back on that month fondly, knowing that if anything, it only made him and Markus closer. Now they have something to laugh about when someone brings up one of their sex lives. Plus, they can go months without seeing or talking to each other and still pick up right where they left off, best friends. 

Connor wishes he had that sort of relationship with  _ both _ of his ex’s, but he doesn’t want to think about the other right now.

He doesn’t even have to knock or ring a doorbell at Carl Manfred’s mansion. The door slides open with a soft, “Hello, Connor.”

“Hello,” Connor calls back to the door, stepping over the threshold and into the large house. He takes a few steps inside, removing his coat and hanging it on the rack, careful not to crush the bouquet of orchids in his hand. He smiles at one of the paintings before ascending the massive stairs, nodding to the android posted outside of Carl’s room before knocking on the door. 

It opens automatically, revealing Markus, smiling up at Connor from inside the dark room. Markus pulls him into a hug, allowing them to hold each other for a few moments. Connor steps back first, not wanting to interface accidentally in fear of letting Markus see the surprise. He moves forward, past Markus and into the dark room. “Hello, Carl.”

The old man smiles at Connor through the dark, his head firmly pressed against his pillow. “Hello, Connor. It’s good to see you.” Connor hands him the orchids. “These are lovely, thank you. I love having new flowers to paint.” 

Carl coughs, warranting Markus to place a steady hand on his arm, then motion for Connor. “Let’s go to the studio,” He says, smiling at Carl once more before exiting the room swiftly. “I’ve missed you!” He calls over his shoulder, taking the stairs two at a time. 

Connor follows, trying and failing to keep up with Markus’ energy. “I’ve missed you, too.” They make it into the studio, and Connor smiles when he sees that Markus has already set everything up. A table for them to sit around, stools and paints strewn out over the table. He notes the computer on the table as well, thinking for a second. “Where’s Simon?”

“He’ll be here. I need him to do the coding part.” Markus gestures, and Connor sits, still smiling. “Okay, you wanna just… jump into this?”

Connor nods. “Yes. I’ve been looking forward to this. The concept of tattoos fascinates me.”

Markus smiles. “Me too. Let’s see if this works.” 

Connor spends some time fiddling with his sleeves, trying to figure out which arm he wants it on. He settles on the right arm, and rolls his sleeve up as high at will go as Markus shows him what he sketched out. Connor whistles. “Those are cool. Do you think they’ll show through?”

“Maybe?” Markus shrugs, unsure. “Honestly, Simon is only fifty percent sure that he  _ can _ lower the opacity of synthetic skin in only one area. I think android tattoos make sense in theory, but I guess we’ll find out, huh?” Connor nods, and removes the synthetic skin from his fingers to his elbow, revealing the white chassis beneath. He props his elbow on the table, angling it so Markus has room to paint.

The plan, is to use acrylic paint to cover the chassis, then make the synthetic skin transparent enough so that only the tattoo shines through. Will it work? Neither of them are sure. At the very least, Connor will have some flowers on his chassis that only Hank will ever see.

“So…” Markus begins, painting the first few, thin strokes to outline what he wants to do. “What’s new with you? I know we just spoke this morning, but…”

Connor smiles, not wanting to keep secrets anymore. “Well, I proposed to Hank. So, I guess that’s new.”

Markus’ jaw drops as he dips his paintbrush into the blue paint. “Really? What did he say?”

“Obviously, he said yes.”

Laughing, Markus stops painting for a second to hug Connor again, filling Connor with a new sort of warmth. “That’s fantastic. I’m so happy for you both.” 

Connor smiles down at his arm, watching the roses as they quickly unfurl. He never ceases to be amazed by how quickly Markus can paint. “Thank you. I’ve only told you so far, and I was thinking we could have some sort of get together?” Markus raises an eyebrow. “Like, go to a bar, get everyone drunk so I won’t get shit for marrying a human.”

Markus laughs again. “You know that the only person who will care is North. And she’s just crazy. I’ll message the group chat later, see if we can get a set plan.” He squints down at the paint, then gestures for Connor to shift his arm so he can work on the underside while the top’s first layer dries. “Have any ideas for the wedding?”

“Not yet, we only got engaged on Friday.” Connor tilts his head to the side, thinking. “Well, I think I want to get married in the summer. I like the beach, and Kara spends the summers here in Detroit. I want her, Luther and Alice to come, too.” Markus nods, furrowing his brow in concentration. “How’s Simon?”

Markus looks at the door, then smiles. “You can ask him yourself, he just got here.” Connor nudges his arm. “I mean, we’re great. Thank you for asking.”

Connor looks up as Simon enters the studio, his arms filled with bundles of wires. “Hello!” He calls cheerfully, crossing to set the cords down on the table, careful to not get any paint on them. He looks at Connor’s arm, then presses a kiss to Markus’ temple. “That looks great so far.”

“It’s almost done, I think.” Markus smiles again, flipping Connor’s arm back over. “This paint dries quickly.” 

Shifting nervously, Connor watches as Simon starts plugging the wires into the computer, then moves to the back of Connor’s neck to open the panel there. Markus’ eyes dart between Connor and Simon, and Connor sighs. “Hank and I are getting married.”

Simon squeals, almost dropping the wires in his hands. “Really? Connor, that’s wonderful! Oh my Ra9, this is the greatest news I’ve heard in awhile. Let me text-”

“They haven’t told anyone else yet,” Markus says, leaning back and placing his paintbrush in a cup of water. “So don’t go telling everyone.” He looks back to Connor. “Okay, I think that’s it for now.”

Connor finally looks at his own arm, holding it up and rotating it in the light to see it better. Blue roses cover his forearm, thorns twisting along his wrist and up to his elbow. “Markus, this looks great.” 

Markus smiles to himself, proud of his quick work before moving to grab the varnish, a matte, waterproof finisher that will keep the paint from washing off of Connor’s chassis. He paints over the roses carefully, and Connor jerks his head upright as Simon plugs a wire into his neck. 

Simon laughs. “I mean, I’ve figured out how to do it for the entire body, so I don’t see why making your arm transparent should be a problem.” He shakes his head, typing some things out on the computer. “Though, you’re pretty pale, anyway. So I don’t think anyone would notice if I accidentally made your skin kind of see through.”

Connor waits patiently while Simon works, interfacing with Markus after a moment to show him the proposal. Markus pretends to gag. “Gosh, Connor, you’re too sweet. Don’t show that to Simon, or he’ll be upset that I’m not romantic enough.”

“Hey,” Simon chuckles as Markus ducks the paintbrush thrown at him. “You’re romantic.” He pulls the wires out of Connor’s neck, closing the panel slowly. “But definitely don’t show me. I’ll get jealous of Hank.” He leans down to pinch Connor’s cheek, then steps back to unplug the cords from the computer. “Okay, that should be it. Try activating your skin now.”

Exhaling slowly, Connor puts the synthetic skin back into place, gasping a little when he sees that only the flowers shine through, making it seem like he has a real tattoo.  _ Like a human. _ He thinks, grinning widely. “Markus, I… I love this.”

Markus smiles too, nodding down at his work. “Well, now we know how to do it. Good, because I’ve wanted tattoos since before I became a deviant.”

Connor stays for a few hours, catching up with Markus and Simon and letting Markus explain everything he did while he was away. Connor thinks briefly about how much he missed Markus, and is already looking forward to see him again. 

Nothing makes Connor feel more human than when he shows the painting to Hank, who kisses every rose softly, whispering about how beautiful Connor is. Connor forgets to set a timer when he drifts into stasis, because, finally, when he runs his hands over Hank’s tattoos, Hank does the same to Connor’s. 


	4. Never Had No One Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Connor go to question some protesters

**Dec 6, 2041**

**11:14 am**

A small notification sound rings against Gavin’s desk, thank  _ god _ , pulling him away from his terminal to check his phone. Gavin thinks that this is probably the worst part about working with Connor so far. Having to look busy. He glances over towards his  _ partners  _ desk, wanting to gag just thinking about the word. Relieved to see that Connor is engaged in a lively discussion with Lieutenant Anderson, Gavin kicks his feet up, not caring who sees that he’s slacking off.

He scrolls through the pages of apps on the phone, searching for the little orange square that now has a notification in the corner. Gavin glances over his shoulder at Chris, still working. The subject of this notification is still a bit dicey with Chris, though Gavin doesn’t know why. Chris is always up his ass about meeting strangers and how dangerous it is.  _ Dad life’s made him soft, _ Gavin thinks, clicking on the small square.

_ Tina _ , on the other hand, is nothing but supportive when Gavin talks about dating apps. Though she would never admit it to either of her friends, Gavin has seen the different programs on her own phone. He’s definitely the kind of person that snoops through his friends phones when they’re not looking. It’s just… what they get for not keeping a passcode on their devices. Gavin’s not indirect about his need to pry, so they definitely knew what they were getting themselves into when they first started hanging out.

Luckily for Chris, Gavin thinks that keeping two hundred pictures of your kid is boring, so Tina usually gets the brunt of it.

It’s not Gavin’s fault that he, how did Tina phrase it?  _ Likes ho stories? _

Gavin smiles a little when the app opens quickly, revealing the source of the notification. He matched with someone.  _ It's the guy from yesterday _ . Gavin spends a little time scrolling back through the profile of this dude, still baffled by how pretty hee is. A chiseled jawline, picture perfect abs, glasses, and one of those beards that screams ‘ _ I’m an intellectual! _ ’

Briefly, Gavin thinks about Shane. Honestly, that wasn’t something he usually did when it came to random hook-ups. Half the time, he was too drunk to remember anything, and the other half of the time, the dude  _ sucked _ , and not in the good way. With Shane, Gavin  _ definitely _ doesn’t remember much, other than how good he looked naked, how nice he was yesterday morning and the smell of his apartment. And, the close proximity to Gavin’s own apartment, which is very convenient.

_ I’ll call him tonight,  _ Gavin thinks.  _ He was nice. I could do that again. Sober this time. _

Sighing, Gavin opens up the messaging portion of the app to talk to the guy with the glasses. 

**_Hey_ **

He debates adding an emoticon, but opts not too. Gavin is also the kind of person who doesn’t like to look too eager to get laid. He glances back over at Connor, who laughs loudly  on the other side of the room.  _ Asshole _ , Gavin thinks, closing the app to open some other social media.  _ Get onto me about not working but you can laugh it up all you want. Fucking pretentious ass android. _

Gavin scrolls through the feed of social media, quickly remembering that it’s early on a  _ Wednesday _ , and nobody cool posts anything at this hour. Ugh, he almost considers getting back to work before he gets another notification sound.  _ Good. _

Sighing again, he reopens the app, then covers his mouth to hide his snort when he sees that Glasses’ response wasn’t another, friendly ‘ _ Hey,’ _ but rather, a picture of his genitals.

Not surprised, Gavin blocks the man. But, not before screenshotting it and sending it to Tina with the accompanying message:  **Men disgust me.**

He sits up, swinging his legs off the table and rolling his chair back to his terminal, deciding that an unsolicited dick pic is enough of a reason to get back to work. Gavin snorts again when Tina gasps from her desk, then quickly looks around to make sure she didn’t draw attention to herself. Gavin looks down at his phone, gagging a little when he sees the screenshot again.

**_Gavin ugh_ **

Tina accompanies the message with a lot of vomiting emojis, making Gavin chuckle.

**_Boys are sooo gross_ **

**_Was that the hot guy??????_ **

Gavin sighs. 

**Unfortunately. I mean, he’s packing, but Jesus, at least say hi first!**

**_Block that mofo. We’ll find you someone better tonight_ **

Looking up from his phone, Gavin smiles when he sees Tina turn around in her chair, grinning stupidly at him. She glances around, making sure no one is watching her, then makes a lewd gesture with her hands, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Gavin covers his face with his hand, then grabs his phone to tell her to  _ fucking stop that we’re at work they can’t know I’m gay _ , then gasps when a voice speaks from beside his desk, clutching his phone to his chest in surprise. 

“Detective Reed.” Connor smiles down at Gavin, a fake, crooked smile, but a smile all the same. 

Gavin glares at Tina when he hears her cackling, causing her to slump down in her chair and turn around to face her terminal. “What?” Gavin asks, frowning and trying to slow his heartbeat. “Keep scaring the shit out of me and see what happens, Tin Can.”

Connor’s fake smile doesn’t falter. “I apologize, Detective. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Gavin glances down from the android’s face, wondering who  _ the fuck _ wears a suit to work without wanting to kill themselves. “I was wondering if you had time to review the file I sent you.”

Rolling his eyes, Gavin nods. “Yeah, I did. Protester, protester, blah blah blah Red Ice. I gotcha.”

“Oh, alright, then.” Connor raises an eyebrow. “So you’re ready to go?”

“Wha-”

“Because I included in the footnotes of that message that I would like to go speak with these protesters today.” Connor straightens his tie, though he doesn’t  _ need _ too. “I think this virus could potentially have a negative effect on all androids, and-”

“Can’t we just deal with shit later?” Gavin interrupts, already tired of Connor’s presence. “I haven’t had the chance to write a report for the shit we did yesterday.”

Connor blinks at him, the fake smile gone, his LED blinking a steady yellow. “I wrote mine the second we got back,” He states, as if dumbfounded that Gavin has slacked off this much. “After some research I found that this group of protesters meets everyday until 3:00 pm, and I would like to speak with them before they disperse. This virus is a threat to my people, Detective, and I intend to figure out what’s going on.”

_ My people. _ God, how convoluted can someone be? “First of all,” Gavin begins, “They’re not people. They’re robots, and they are definitely not my top priority. Second,”

Connor raises a hand, and Gavin almost screams at his  _ audacity to try and tell him to shut up _ . “How did you refer to this partnership yesterday?”

“What?”

“Our partnership. You called it…” Connor taps his chin, a small frown forming on his lips. “Toaster Patrol.” Gavin laughs a little as his own joke. Connor, does not. “I was assigned to you so you can watch over me, though I have no intention of listening to anything you say or do.  I am going to speak with the protesters. And, while you are welcome to stay here with your feet on your desk, I don’t think Captain Fowler would appreciate it if you lost the toaster.”

Then, it’s Gavin’s turn to blink, looking past Connor at Lieutenant Anderson, of all people, who sits at his desk with his elbows on the table and his head propped against his hands, listening attentively. Sighing, Gavin stands, grabbing his jacket and making a point to stick up his middle finger at the Lieutenant, who responds with a hearty, “Ey, fuck you too, Reed!”

“Ok,” Gavin says, ignoring him. “Let’s go, then.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**12:01 pm**

_ “They are not alive. Recycle all androids.” _

Gavin always thought that downtown Detroit was way too loud. Too many people, too much noise. He guessed that it was hypocritical, coming from someone who went to nightclubs as often as he did, but he didn’t care. He was going to stand by his statement. Too loud.

The protesters are exactly the same,  _ too loud _ . Gavin and Connor stand behind the protesters, leaned against the building behind them nonchalantly, trying not to raise suspicion yet. Gavin rolls his eyes everytime the leader of the protesters screams into his megaphone.

_ “They stole our jobs. Recycle all androids.” _

Truthfully, Gavin didn’t really understand people like this. Self proclaimed anti-android activists. Sure, Gavin hates androids just as much as the next guy, but it’s 2041 for Christ’s sake.  _ Keep your thoughts to yourself, you violent assholes.  _ Gavin thinks, not grasping how anyone could waste their time making sure that other people  _ know  _ that they hate androids.  _ Really, androids fucking suck. But, even I know that they’re not bothering anyone. _

It’s true. Gavin may not understand how a machine could have feelings or be “alive”, but he wasn’t about to go out of his way to protest their existence or push them off of bridges. He glances up at Connor, who watches the protesters closely, his LED blinking red. Gavin hates Connor, sure, but not enough to scream in his face that he’s not alive. Not enough to yell to others about how he should be dead. When Gavin hates someone, they’re not worth his time, and he rarely even thinks about how much he hates them, let alone wastes his brain power on making sure other people hate them too.

_ God, Protesters are crazy. Just get another job, _ Gavin thinks, nudging Connor’s shoulder. “You wanted to talk to them.” He says, bluntly.

Connor sighs. “I did. I just… I forget that there are still people like this.” He gestures, shaking his head. “So angry and full of hate.” He glances down at Gavin, scrunching his features into some sort of grimace. “Maybe you should-”

Gavin laughs, cutting him off. “Nah. I wanted to wait and you didn’t listen to me.” Gavin makes the same gesture, mocking him. “You go talk to them.”

“ _ They are not alive. Recycle all androids. _ ”

Gavin can’t shake the feeling that something about this is familiar, but he decides to ignore it. Connor folds his arms, still leaned against the wall. “These people are screaming about recycling all androids, Detective. To put that into perspective, they’re basically saying they want to slaughter me and my entire race.”

“Should’ve thought about that before you forced me to come out here.” Gavin shrugs. “Go ahead, I’ll watch.”

Sighing again, Connor stands upright, straightening his tie and adjusting his coat and suit jacket to reveal the badge on his hip. He breathes deeply, though Gavin knows he doesn’t need to, and adjusts his stance to make it obvious that there’s a gun holstered on his hip. Gavin thinks he understands this. He knows what it’s like to assert your dominance going into a dangerous situation.

“ _ They stole our jobs. Recycle all androids. _ ”

It’s like the protesters are wolves, and Connor is an animal carcass.

Suddenly, Gavin wishes he brought popcorn.

Connor approaches the crowd with his shoulders straightened, all nervousness gone from his posture as if he was filled with an ungodly amount of confidence. “Hello,” He begins, causing most of the shouting to stop, and the protesters gape at Connor in awe, blinking up at the android with wide eyes. Connor nods down at his badge. “My name is Detective Connor, and I would like to ask you all a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

The crowd is silent, their signs covered in propaganda slowly being lowered as they all look to each other in confusion. The one with the megaphone steps towards Connor, and though Gavin can’t see his face, he can tell that this guy is angry. “Oh,” He says, finally, looking Connor up and down. “They let androids be detectives, now?”

“Yes.” Connor answers quickly, dismissing the jab with ease. “My partner and I,”  _ Don’t bring me into this, _ Gavin thinks, hiding his face in his hands. “Are conducting an investigation on anti-android activists and their connection to a lethal virus being administered to androids through flash drives. I was wondering if any of you would willingly speak to us on this subject.” He looks around. “Obviously, there’s no need to involve everyone. So, if I could pull one of you to the side to speak with you privately, then the rest could get back to what you were doing before.”

They murmur to themselves, all looking to the one with the megaphone, who laughs. “You wants us to snitch?  _ To an android? _ ” The others laugh too, and Gavin uncovers his face long enough to see Connor stiffen up more than he already was, if that was even possible. “No fucking way. Get out of here, Tin Can. Or we’ll fuck you up for real.”

Connor clears his throat, and Gavin sighs, knowing that Connor is  _ definitely _ about to drag him into this. “I understand your anger, and I recognize your distaste for me. However, my partner is a human. If you would feel more comfortable talking to him, that can be arranged.”

Megaphone scoffs, turning and handing the device to someone else in the group. He whispers something to her, then gestures for Connor to move, following away from the group of protesters as the woman starts the chants again.

“ _ They are not alive. Recycle all androids. _ ”

Gavin straightens, really  _ not _ wanting to have to talk to anyone, let alone someone that’s obviously not going to tell them anything. He watches as Connor approaches, his gaze falling on Megaphone and-

_ Oh. Oh my fucking God. _

“This is Detective Gavin Reed,” Connor gestures to Gavin’s badge, his face still expressionless besides the angry twitch in his right eye. “Now, I’m going to ask you a few-”

“You didn’t tell me you were a cop.”

Gavin groans, running his hand down his face. “Hello, Shane.”

Connor’s eyes dart between the two men, frowning in confusion. Shane smirks. “Hello, Gavin. Why didn’t you tell me you were a cop?” He repeats through gritted teeth, glaring up at Connor.

“You didn’t ask.” Gavin shrugs, leaning against the wall again. “Why didn’t you tell me you were jobless and racist?”

Shane scoffs. “How would that even come up in conversation?” He laughs for real then, looking back at Connor and shaking his head. “You some kind of android lover?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Then why do you work with that thing?”

Connor clears his throat. “Well, actually my name is Connor, and I-”

“That’s not really something I chose, okay? It’s literally just my job.” Gavin sighs, folding his arms. “Look, we really have to ask you some questions.” He says, rolling his eyes as Connor nods, agreeing with him. “So, I guess we should-”

“Sorry,” Shane shifts his weight, balling his hands at his sides and cracking his knuckles. “Not a snitch. Definitely not to an android and a pig. Tell it to leave.”

Gavin frowns. “Connor, can you give us a second?” Connor blinks, but obeys, turning and wandering a few feet away from them towards a bus stop. “Look, I know that you have a thing against androids.”

“Duh.”

“Oh my god.” Gavin sighs, rolling his eyes again. “And, you don’t even have to answer the questions. I won’t even ask them. I just-”

Shane raises an eyebrow. “So, what, you’re trying to keep things okay between us?” Gavin opens his mouth but Shane continues. “You don’t call me, and then you expect that I’ll still like you after finding out that you work with androids?”

Gavin sputters. “I…” He lowers his voice even more than it already was, glancing and making sure that Connor is far enough away. “I was going to call you, Shane. But that’s not the point, I-”

“Really? Because you didn’t even want to give me your number.”

“I… I had just met you!” Gavin shakes his head, confused still. “Obviously, I didn’t know what to-”

“Look,” Shane interrupts him again, tilting his head to speak to Gavin slowly and condescendingly. “I’m sorry if you got your hopes up, Sweetheart. But I don’t fuck cops. If you had told me, I wouldn’t have brought you home.” 

“I-”

“Go back to your little robot twink and figure out your  _ virus _ on your own.” Shane turns, pausing before heading back to his group of protesters. “Delete my fucking number from your phone.”

He stands, waiting for a response until Gavin replies with a sheepish, “Okay.”

Gavin sighs again, pulling out his phone and blocking Shane’s number altogether. He turns, stomping over to where Connor waits. “He didn’t know anything. Let’s go.”

“Detective,” Connor starts, jogging the first few steps to catch up to Gavin as he stomps down the sidewalk. “Are you alright?”  
“I’m fine, Toaster. Fuck off.” He doesn’t, instead following Gavin closer than he was before. Gavin groans, stopping in his tracks and whipping around. “I’m fine. Don’t ask again.”

Connor’s LED swirls from red to yellow, blinking rapidly as he studies Gavin’s face,  _ scanning him _ . Eventually, he nods, allowing Gavin to turn around and get as far away from Shane as he possibly can. 

Gavin sighs, remembering the nice things that he said to Tina about Shane over breakfast Tuesday morning.  _ Boyfriend material my ass. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**11:09 pm**

Usually, when Gavin and Tina meet for drinks, they go to the same nightclub every time, picking a table to drink at, then move to the dance floor to pick up strangers. Tonight however, while Tina shakes her hips in a sea of hot women, Gavin sulks at the bar in the back of the club.

He glares down into his drink, not looking up when Tina taps his shoulder. She sighs from beside him, whispering something that Gavin can’t hear before slamming her hand on the bartop. “Yo,” She says firmly, still trying to gain Gavin’s attention. “Dumbass.”

After making her wait while he drinks slowly from his glass, Gavin finally looks up. “What?”

Tina smirks, and Gavin realizes that her fingers are entwined with a stranger’s, a shy looking girl in a tight dress. “This,” Tina begins, pausing to look at the girl. “Is Gabriella.” Gavin nods to Gabriella, then returns his gaze to the now empty glass. Tina sighs again. “I’m taking her home with me, Gav. Do you want a ride back to your place?”

He considers this, then shakes his head. “I’m okay, thanks.”

“You’re going to stay here?” Tina leans forward, stepping towards the bartop to meet Gavin’s eye. “That’s probably not a good idea. You’re being emo.”

Gavin groans. “I’ll be fine, Teen. Just gonna drink myself into a coma and hopefully die.”

Tina rolls her eyes, turning away from Gavin to the other girl. “He’s not serious, don’t worry. He’s just a drama queen.” She stands upright, turning away from him. “Suit yourself, Gav. Text me before you leave and when you get home, okay? I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Gavin turns to watch her hold her arm out to Gabriella, who leans into Tina with a smile on her face. 

“Love you,” Tina purrs in a sing song voice, making Gavin shake his head and raise his hand to signal the bartender to refill his glass.

“Love you, too.”

He sighs a breath of relief when the scotch hits the glass, a pathetic smile forming on his lips. Gavin raises the glass, inhaling to smell the liquor before sipping at it lightly, wincing at the bite. Sure, Gavin can chug fireball like a pro, but harder stuff is more difficult to get down. 

His gaze finds the table again, and he resists the urge to check his phone. Gavin can’t stop thinking about Shane, which he knows is stupid but he just can’t help himself. Shane was nice, but he was an asshole. Briefly, Gavin wonders if that’s how people feel about him. If that’s why every time he gave someone his number, they didn’t call him. If that’s why they were only interested in having sex with him once, then were content to never speak to him again.  _ He’s nice, but he’s an asshole. _

Never,  _ not once _ , has Gavin ever thought about how he’s maybe a bit too mean. His mind wanders to Connor, of all people. Gavin hates Connor. There’s no doubting that, but… Gavin wonders if he should try and be nicer to him. After all, the only time Connor has ever really done anything to hurt Gavin intentionally was that one time he dumped coffee all over Gavin’s lap. But, that was just because Gavin yelled at him when he didn’t have the coffee ready when Gavin wanted it.

Gavin sighs, again.  _ You called Shane racist.  _ He sips from his drink.  _ Are you any better? Any less racist than him? _

He glances up when the chair beside him scratches against the floor as another man sits in it, looking up at the bartender to order something that Gavin barely hears. The man sighs, and Gavin looks up at him, surprised to find… Connor?

Gavin’s eyes widen as the bartender returns with a tall glass, then starts to fill it with a blue liquid. Gavin blinks, watching Connor closely… No, not Connor. Someone else.

_ Connor’s eyes are brown. This Connor blinks through steely gray orbs. _

Androids don’t really have unique faces, Gavin knows this. He’s used to seeing an android, then seeing another android that looks exactly like it a few hours later. Androids have models or serieses or something, and the ones that are the same model have the same face. But… Gavin has  _ never _ seen another Connor. He can’t understand why looking at someone who looks like his least favorite toaster upsets him, but it does. 

“Can I help you?”

Not-Connor turns to meet Gavin’s stare, his lips pressed into a thin line. Gavin can definitely see the differences now. This android has less moles and freckles, broader shoulders, thicker eyebrows. And of course, the eyes. His voice has a slightly lower pitch, but he speaks in the same breathy, soft tone as Connor.

“Wh-what?” Gavin asks dumbly, still blinking in shock.

“You’re staring at me.” Not-Connor’s mouth twitches, the ghost of a frown forming on his mostly expressionless face. His LED is blue, and Gavin takes that to mean that he isn’t upset with Gavin, just curious. 

“Sorry.” Gavin says, looking back down at his glass. “You just looked familiar.”

Not-Connor shifts, reaching out to take his own glass, drinking the blue liquid with a soft “Ah,” Gavin looks back up as the android runs a hand through his hair, shutting his eyes and leaning back in his chair. Their eyes meet once more, and Gavin feels his face heat up before he lets his head drop to his hands in embarrassment. Not-Connor sighs. “Everyone here is so strange.”

_ Oh, _ Gavin thinks, peeking through his fingers to watch as the android takes another swig.  _ He’s not from here _ . While he usually wouldn’t care, Gavin thinks about how he considered being nicer to androids. Maybe now is a good time to start. He asks what he’s thinking. “You’re not from here?”

“Well, I am, technically.” Not-Connor sets his glass back down, looking up at one of the screens behind the bar. “All androids are manufactured in Detroit.” Gavin nods, trying to seem attentive. “But I,” The android stops himself, then glances down at Gavin as if considering whether or not he should confide in a stranger. “I’ve been in Kalkaska for three years.”

Gavin nods again, drinking from his scotch again. “So… what are you doing here?”

Not-Connor sighs, turning to face Gavin, relaxing a little. “I’m transferring jobs to live closer to my brother.” 

“That’s cool.” Gavin leans against the bartop, propping his head up on his elbow.

“What are you doing here?” Not-Connor asks, watching Gavin closely with the same, blank expression.

Gavin snorts. “I live here.” He pauses. “Not, like, here as in like, I live in the club but like I- Ugh, I live in Detroit.” He clears his throat awkwardly, knowing for a fact that his face must be bright red. He tries to change the subject when Not-Connor doesn’t say anything in response, just watches him curiously. “I’m Gavin.”

The android nods, taking another sip from his blue drink before holding his hand out to shake Gavin’s. “Niles.” Gavin must make a face, because Niles sighs. “I am aware that my name is ridiculous. I did not choose it.”

Gavin raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Then who did?”

“My brother.”

“Can.. um,” Gavin thinks about calling Shane racist again, before, “I don’t want to sound racist or anything but, um… Can androids even…  _ have _ brothers?”

Niles chuckles, though he still doesn’t smile. “No. Well, yes? Maybe? I’m not actually sure.” He shakes his head. “My brother is just… really quirky, and we’re similar models and… I don’t know, I’ve just been calling him that for so long, I forget that it’s a bit weird. There’s not really another word to describe our relationship.”

“Friends?” Gavin offers.

“No.” Niles says with certainty. “We are not friends.”

“Harsh.”

“Yes.”

Smiling now, Gavin drums his fingers against the bartop. “Have you already transferred, or…” He pauses again when Niles furrows his brow, and corrects himself. “I mean, you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”

“No, that’s fine.” Niles exhales, though he probably doesn’t need to. “I have. I’ll start working here on Monday.” He continues to watch Gavin closely, his LED a steady yellow. “What about you? What do you do for work?”

Gavin prepares to evade that question, then remembers how rude Shane was. “I’m a homicide detective.”

He expects the usual response, either a frown or a straight up “Fuck you, cop.”

But, what Gavin doesn’t expect is, “Fascinating.” Niles leans forward, his LED turning blue. “You know, I was designed to be a homicide detective.”

“Oh, shit. Yeah you were, weren’t you?” Niles blinks, so Gavin continues. “I mean, I thought I recognized your model. CyberLife did a whole seminar on detective androids back before the revolution.” He tries and fails to remember Connor’s exact model number. “You’re an… RK-”

“900.” Niles finishes for him, the thin line of his mouth curving upwards at the corner, which Gavin assumes is the closest thing he’ll get to a smile out of this guy. “RK900. Actually, I was the first finished android in my series to be activated. They were testing out my features when Markus started the march on November 11th. My model was to be mass produced and shipped out all over the United States.” He pauses. “There are only two other working androids from the RK series, but they are both prototypes, made without the intention of making another.”

Gavin nods, knowing that one of those two must be Connor. He vaguely remembers the CyberLife rep saying that they were getting a prototype during the seminar, mostly because he was angry about having to work with a robot. “That’s cool.” Gavin says, trying to match Niles’ almost smile, but failing. “What did you do after Markus’ thing?”

Niles sighs. “I stayed with CyberLife until Markus eventually sent my brother to get me and wake me up, making me a deviant android.” He exhales again, reaching for his drink, then changes the subject. “You have a scar on your nose.”

It’s not a question. Gavin nods again, scooting his chair closer to Niles’ so he doesn’t have to shout over the loud music anymore. “Yeah, uh. I do.” He watches as Niles takes another drink, obviously waiting for Gavin to explain how he got it. “Uh, an ex-boyfriend of mine hit me with a pipe.”

Niles chuckles again, then realizes that Gavin wasn’t joking. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” He leans forward, lowering his voice. “For what it’s worth, I would never hit you with a pipe.”

Gavin smiles. “Well, you’re not my ex-boyfriend, so that shouldn’t ever be an issue.”

“Who knows? Someday I might be.” Gavin expects to feel breath on his ear, but he doesn’t, making him shiver a little at the strangeness of being so close to a robot. “Let me buy you another drink.” Stupidly, Gavin nods, and Niles waves to the bartender again. 

He knows he probably shouldn’t have another drink, but Gavin appreciates the gesture. He sips at the next drink as he continues to talk with Niles in the same sort of way, whispering to each other quietly. 

Gavin’s had a lot of super strange nights, but as he presses his hand against the screen in the back of a taxi to pay to get home, he decides that this is the strangest night he’s ever had. Gavin has always been an asshole, he knows that. So why, despite every other thing he could have done, did he flirt with an android for three hours then call a taxi? Gavin hates androids. All of them. So, why does he feel so drawn to Niles?

He glances down at the napkin balled in his fist, uncrumpling it and looking at the phone number there, scrawled out in perfect CyberLife Sans.

 


	5. Golden Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor worries about his LED, and about why everyone keeps ignoring him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey kiddos connor has a sort of panic attack at the beginning of this one, so just to warn ya

**Dec 7, 2041**

**10:21 am**

Flashing blue and red lights flood the floor of a small house, illuminating from the police grade vehicles positioned outside. A crowd gathers on the street, asking questions that won’t get answers. A few officers stand guard by the holographic police tape, making sure that no one gets near the house.

Connor stares at his feet, watching the lights change the color of his shoes. Blue. Red. Blue. Red. Straining his eyes, he tries to see if he can spot the color of his LED in his peripheral vision. He can’t, but he doesn’t need to look to know that it glows a steady red. This whole situation has him feeling perturbed and uncomfortable, and he really wishes he was someplace else. Preferably at home, in bed with Hank, Sumo laying by his feet, his favorite person and his favorite dog keeping him warm.

Not that he’s particularly cold at the moment. Androids don’t fear temperature changes the way humans do. Connor isn’t even dressed for the cold on account of not having time to grab his coat. Reed had seemed excited to get to this crime scene before anyone else, though Connor still isn’t sure why. He fiddles with the lapel of his suit jacket, trying to focus on that while Reed continues to speak to one of the witnesses.

Reed catches his gaze, and nods over to the body, knowing that Connor didn’t  _ really _ look at it. Connor sighs, then crosses the small living room into the kitchen.

He isn’t really sure why he’s so distracted.  _ Don’t lie to yourself. _ Connor thinks, knowing full well what’s wrong. He loves police work, and he loves investigating and figuring out what happened in situations like this. But, since he became a deviant, it’s harder for Connor to focus when the victim is an android.

Connor pushes through a cluster of officers to get a good look at the body. He blinks, trying to ignore the eyes of the officers watching him. They can see his LED, and most likely can tell that he’s upset. Sometimes, Connor wishes that he didn’t even have the stupid thing. It always betrays him when he tries to seem unphased by things like this.

He kneels next to the android, pretending not to care about the pool of thirium he’s kneeling in, evaporated and invisible to the human eye. He pretends not to care as he scans the android, identifying her model and serial number. Connor reconstructs a brutal attack in this kitchen, four men beating this poor android to near death, carefully and expertly removing her thirium pump and kicking her for good measure.

Then, inserting a USB into her neck.

Well, at least now he knows why Reed insisted on being the first detectives here. Maybe it’s a good thing that he’s starting to show interest in their current case. Maybe this means he’ll start being nicer to Connor.

_ No, _ Connor thinks, standing upright.  _ He hates me. _

Turning away from the body, Connor watches to see that the witnesses are being escorted from the premises, and Reed is making his way to the kitchen. He leans against the doorframe, typing quickly on his phone.

“Well,” Connor begins, then closes his mouth as Reed raises a finger, continuing to type. Sighing, Connor reaches into his pocket, extracting the small coin from in there and rolling it across his knuckles. He puts it back in his pocket, then glances back at Reed, who keeps typing, then sighs, finishing whatever he was doing and finally looking up.

“Okay,” Reed begins, gesturing with the hand holding the phone. “How did the uh… thingy go?”

“The reconstruction?” Connor offers. Reed nods. “Well, based on the evidence, I believe there were four men here. They attacked her, stole her thirium pump and left the flash drive.” Reed moves away from the doorframe, looking down at the android again. “ I didn’t detect any fingerprints.”

Reed nods again, then nudges the android with his foot. The action makes Connor feel nauseous, though he is literally incapable of vomiting. “Do you think this thing- Er, hang on.” Reed’s phone vibrates, and he unlocks it quickly, laughing for a second before beginning to type again. 

Connor tilts his head. “Detective Reed?”

The response is another raised finger, and Connor sighs loudly.

“ _ Gavin. _ ”

Reed presses send on his phone, raising his head to Connor. “Hmm?”

Connor blinks. “You… you were in the middle of a sentence?” 

“Right, uh,” Reed sighs, racking his brain as if he forgot they were at the scene of a murder, the body of an android cold at their feet. The screen of his phone lights up again. “Hold that thought.”

When he resumes typing, Connor exits the house, pushing through the crowd of bystanders yelling questions at him and unlocking Hank’s car, sitting himself in the driver’s seat and slamming the door with a huff.

Briefly, Connor considers that he might be overreacting, but then, he thinks that his behavior isn’t the problem. It’s  _ Reed _ . Reed is the one making things difficult for Connor. He insists they go to a crime scene and is seemingly nice to Connor, then, the second Connor actually wants to talk about work, he can’t put down his phone. Like Connor is some kind of inconvenience for him.

No, it’s not even Reed that Connor is angry at. He knew from the start of this week that this was going to be difficult. Connor is really mad at Captain Fowler for assigning him to work with this asshole. He’s mad at  _ Hank _ for not wanting Connor to explain why they can’t work together to Reed. He’s mad at himself for suggesting that they tell Fowler about their relationship. He’s mad that there are rules against being partnered with your significant other.

Most importantly, Connor’s mad that no one ever listens to him. No one takes him seriously, even now that androids are free. Most androids still don’t like him because they knew him as the deviant hunter. Most humans don’t like him because they know he’s an android. Connor can’t win, no matter what he does, and Detective Reed is going to keep treating him like garbage no matter how hard he tries to be nice, just because he’s an  _ android. _

Connor flips the visor down, looking at his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks are tinged a light blue, and he struggles to calm down, his gaze fixed on his red LED. “It’s your fault.” Connor says to the small circle, pointing at it through the mirror. “If you weren’t red all the time people would listen.” He taps it with his finger. “Turn back to blue.” It stays red, and Connor runs a scan on himself.

_ Level of stress 78% _

Groaning, Connor taps the circle with more force. “Turn blue.” He commands, waiting for it to change. It doesn’t, so he focuses on himself. “Calm down.”

His body doesn’t listen. 

_ Level of stress 80% _

He continues to pound against the LED with his index finger, not understanding why it won’t change. Connor pokes at the circle angrily, watching as his cheeks turn a darker shade of blue. “Change.”

_ Level of stress 82% _

Shifting, he hits it with his knuckle, ignoring how he starts to shake with anger. 

_ Level of stress 84% _

“Just...” Tap. “Fucking...” Tap.”Change...”

Connor jumps when the passenger door opens, slamming the visor shut in one quick movement. He looks over at Reed as he sinks into the seat, not looking up from his phone and not noticing how weird Connor is acting. Sighing, Connor puts on his seatbelt.

“Were you talking to yourself?” Reed asks, glancing up from his phone for a second. 

Blinking, Connor smiles a little as he feels himself start to calm down, trying not to focus on the reflection of his LED in the rearview mirror, now yellow. “Who are you texting?”

Reed’s face flares red for a second, and he looks back down at his phone to continue to type. “None of your business, Toaster.”

  
  
  
  


**1:30 pm**

“Con.”

Connor doesn’t look up from his desk, his gaze locked onto his terminal. The files on the screen fly by, scrolling at a speed that wouldn’t be visible to the human eye. “Hmm?” Connor mumbles, blinking ever so slightly.

Across from him, Hank sighs. “You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

The files keep scrolling.

“ _ Connor _ .”

Finally, he looks up. “What?” Hank raises his eyebrow, and Connor sighs. “Sorry. Just thinking. I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.” Hank’s voice lowers a bit. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Connor can see the concern lacing his features, and decides to try and calm him down, leaning forward a bit to nudge Hank’s foot with his own. “I’m okay, really. I just have a lot on my mind.”

Blue eyes dart side to side as Hank checks to make sure no one is watching. “Is this about my meeting? Because if it runs late, I’ll leave early and-”

“No, it’s not that. Don’t worry,” Connor smiles, trying to reassure him. In all honesty, Connor wasn’t really sure why Hank was so upset by their plans being changed. Sure, it’s unfortunate, but they’ll work around it. Connor can appreciate a bit of change every once in a while.

Thursday is date night. It always has been. When they first started seeing each other romantically, they agreed to always have Thursday evenings free. Thursday just seemed like a logical choice: not on the weekend, no meetings or light night working sessions. For the most part, aside from the occasional body found on a Thursday, Connor and Hank had always managed to keep that day free. Whether they went out somewhere fancy or stay snuggled on their couch rewatching Silence of the Lambs, they always spent Thursday nights together. Quality time together, an entire evening dedicated solely to paying attention to one another. No phones, no work. Just each other.

Granted, they also always spend all of Saturday together as well, but they usually spend that time doing… more intimate things.

Naturally, when Hank’s therapist called and told Hank that she was going to be out of town this Sunday and asked to move their session to Thursday, it caused a bit of a bump in their usual routine. Obviously, Connor believes that Hank shouldn’t miss therapy. Not even for one week. He knows that Hank has gotten so much better this past year, but he can’t help but worry. It’s good for Hank to have someone to talk to that’s not Connor. It’s better if he doesn’t let his thoughts sit. If he thinks about them for too long, he’ll feel the urge to drink again.

Sometimes Connor feels a little sad that there are things that Hank can’t speak with him about, but he understands. Hank doesn’t talk about Cole, and Connor respects that. Sometimes, on Hank’s bad nights, Hank will say things about how he can’t talk to Connor. He just can’t. Connor still doesn’t really know why, but he never pries. He tries his best to understand, and listens when Hank wants to talk. 

Connor actually prefers that Hank speaks with the therapist and not Connor. Not that he doesn’t want to hear Hank’s problems, he does, but sometimes it’s a lot. There are certain things about Hank that Connor just can’t grasp, just like there are certain things about Connor that Hank can’t grasp. They’re very close, and very much in love, but if you can only talk about your burdens to one person for the rest of your life, that wouldn’t be good for either of you. It’s better to speak to someone, whether it’s a friend or a professional, it’s just… better that way.

Just like Thursdays are for dates and Saturdays are for laying around in bed, Sundays are for therapy.

Hank goes to his sessions, usually around the same time Connor meets with North. The two of them monitor a gathering in New Jericho every Sunday at noon, for androids that have had trouble adjusting to how quickly the world is changing. While Markus travels to make political gains, and ensure that every android is truly being treated fairly, Simon goes with him. And, Josh is kept very busy giving child model androids proper, human-like education. So, Connor and North speak to androids that have problems with being themselves, are still uncomfortable around humans, or just want someone to talk to.

It’s nice, spending time with North and a few other androids that Connor sees weekly. It’s nice to talk to people other than his fiance.  Which, might not be a great way to think, but Connor is sure that it would not be healthy if he and Hank were entirely codependent. In Hank’s words, they would ‘get tired of each other real fast.’

Connor runs his foot up the inside of Hank’s leg, causing the other man to chuckle a bit. “It’s alright, really. I’m going to see Niles today, then I’ll have dinner waiting for you when you get home.” He smiles softly, lowering his voice to a whisper. “We can just cuddle and watch another movie.”

Hank sighs, leaning forward, trying not to make it obvious that Connor’s foot is so high up on his leg. “That sounds nice, Con.” He gazes at Connor lovingly, a look in his eyes that makes Connor’s face heat up. “What are you making and what are we watching?”

Shaking his head, Connor moves his foot downward against Hank’s leg, enjoying the reaction it gets out of him. He runs the foot upwards again, making Hank squirm in his seat, still looking around to make sure no one is watching. “That’s a surprise, My Love.”

“Connor,” Hank warns, trying to push Connor’s foot away.

He fails, and Connor only raises his foot so his leg is straight out, perpendicular to the floor and sliding against the inside of Hank’s thigh. “ _ Connor, what? _ ” Connor echoes mockingly.

Groaning, Hank stands, running a hand down his face. Connor laughs as he returns his foot to the floor, rolling his chair back to face his terminal again. “Alright, I’m starving.” Hank stretches, popping his back before he picks up his coat from the back of his desk chair. “You coming to lunch?”

Connor considers, then declines. “No, I’m going to finish looking at these case files, if you don’t mind.”

Nodding, Hank throws on his coat. “Okay, then, I’ll be back.” He smiles, looking around again before mouthing ‘ _ I love you.’ _

The grin on Connor’s face must be goofy, because Hank laughs. Connor places a hand over his heart, mouthing back, _ ‘I love you, too _ ’.

He faces his terminal again, not watching as Hank exits the bullpen.  _ Okay,  _ Connor thinks, watching his synthetic skin peel away as he touches his hands to the keys.  _ There has to be some sort of connection. _ He pulls up the report he made on Sarah, and the case file for the android they found this morning, looking at them side by side. They’re different models. Sarah, a KR200 and the other an AP700. Really, the only thing the victims have in common is that they’re both female.

Connor sighs, then pulls up his report on the protesters. He skims it, then pulls up the file on the leader.  _ Shane Woodward, 41. _ His background states that he has previously been incarcerated for assault, battery and drug possession. Connor blinks, wondering what Reed’s relation to this man is, and why he wouldn’t question him. There’s nothing about Reed in this man’s file, and Connor isn’t sure why. Obviously, they knew each other.

“Hey,”

Closing the file, Connor turns back towards Hank’s desk, frowning when he sees Reed sitting in Hank’s chair. Connor rolls his eyes. “That’s Lieutenant Anderson’s desk.”

Reed smirks, then kicks his feet up onto the desk, almost knocking over the small plant Connor gave Hank for his birthday. “I’m aware.” He pulls out his phone, typing out a quick text. The action makes Connor’s eye twitch. Reed looks back up. “What are you looking at?”

_ Ask him about his connection to that man! _ Connor’s brain screams. What he says instead is, “Um, the case files?”

It sounds like a question, and Reed sighs, turning back to his phone. “You find anything yet?”

Connor shakes his head, then figures Reed wouldn’t see him do that. “No.” He turns back to his terminal, trying to focus on work and ignore the sound of Reed’s fingers tapping the small screen in his hand. It’s incredibly difficult, and Connor just finds himself staring at the pictures of the AP700, his anger levels spiking as the time stretches on.

Eventually,  _ thankfully _ , Officer Chen approaches as well, standing next to Reed. “Hey, Connor.” Connor tries to smile in greeting, but knows that it must come off as fake. Reed looks up from his phone to nudge Chen with his elbow, then returns to typing. Chen sighs, then turns back to Connor. “So, a group of us are going out tonight.”

She doesn’t say anything else, and Connor blinks, letting his synthetic skin slowly cover his chassis again as he folds his hands in his lap. “Oh?”

She nods. “We’re going to this nightclub, the Blue Lagoon? It’s our favorite place.” she nudges Reed, “Hopefully we can meet who this jerk has been texting all day.”

“Shut up,” Reed groans, continuing to type.

Chen smiles. “Would you like to come with us?”

_ Oh _ . Connor nods, finally understanding what she’s offering. “That’s okay, actually, thank you.” She looks a bit disappointed, so Connor elaborates. “I have plans already.”

Her smile returns as she leans against the inside of Hank’s desk, folding her arms. “That’s cool. What are you up to?”

After considering for a moment, Connor decides to be honest. “I have a date, actually.”

_ That _ gains Reed’s attention, and he finally sets his phone down. Chen’s eyes light up, and she practically squeals. “Oh my God! Connor, that’s great! I want all the details. Who is it, where are you going, what are you doing? Spill!”

Connor blinks. “Spill what?”

The other two laugh, and Reed turns to Chen. “He’s probably just going out with his fiance. Chill out.”

“What?” Chen grins. “You’re engaged?” Connor nods, regretting telling Reed and hoping Hank won’t be mad at him for telling anyone. “Connor, that’s awesome. Congratulations!”

Connor tries to smile again. “Thank you, we’re very happy.” 

He turns back to his terminal, but Chen continues. “So…” She leans forward. “What’s she like?”

Connor snorts, then watches as Chen’s expression changes. “Oh, um.” He searches for the right words, then decides that maybe he heard her incorrectly. “Sorry, was that a joke? Sometimes jokes just go over my head.”

She blinks, exchanging a glance with Reed. “No…” She smiles again. “I asked what your fiance is like.”

“But you said ‘she.’”

“Yeah.”

Connor’s brow furrows for a second, then he laughs loudly, undoubtedly confusing the other two. Connor remembers what a  _ disaster _ dating a woman was and how badly that short relationship ended. To this day, he still doesn’t speak to her, it was  _ that _ bad. The idea of ever being with another woman is hilarious to Connor. Like he would willingly go through that nonsense again.

He smiles. “Sorry, I just…” He sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t really have an amazing understanding of the human concept of sexuality, Officer Chen, but…” Connor laughs again.  “I’m pretty sure I’m gay. My fiance is a man.”

“Oh!” Chen stands upright, raising her hands defensively. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry for assuming. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Reed rolls his eyes, chuckling. “Wow, Tina. Aren’t you the one that always tells Chris to stop his heteronormative bullshit?”

Chen’s face turns red, and Connor tries smiling again to make her feel better. It doesn’t work. “I’m so sorry,” She says, again, running her hand down her face. “I should have asked, I…” Shaking her head, she looks back at Connor. “I’m a lesbian. I have no idea why I said that.”

Connor shrugs. “It’s alright, really.”

“Ugh, but it’s not, though!” She flails her arms, then sighs. “Let me try again. What is  _ he  _ like?”

“He’s great.” 

When Chen realizes that Connor isn’t going to say anything else, she bends down, burying her face in Reed’s shoulder. He sighs, taking his feet down from the desk and shrugging his shoulders to push Chen off of him. “Fun fact: I am also gay.”

Not really knowing what to say to that and hoping that they would both go away at this point, Connor nods. “Oh, okay.”

Reed stands, picking up his phone from the desk and nudging Chen again. “Okay, well I’m going to go pretend to do work.”

Chen nods. “Okay, yeah. I’ll see you later, Connor. Sorry again.”

Connor watches them leave, returning to his terminal when he hears Reed mutter, “What the fuck was  _ that _ , Teen?”

Sighing, Connor realizes that he’s probably not going to be able to focus now, and wishes he had gone with Hank to lunch.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**5:42 pm**

Connor struggles to place his hand on the scanner next to the elevator door, unable to move much due to the plants under his arms. The blue light from the scanner illuminates against the white of Connor’s hand, opening the doors to the elevator and allowing the android to step inside.

He struggles around the plants again, then presses his hand against the scanner on the inside of the elevator. Connor quickly types in the code when prompted,  _ 991165729AL10, _ and the elevator begins to move upwards. That’s another thing Connor is jealous of, humans have fingerprints. This building, equipped with a very advanced security system, requests only fingerprint based access. Androids don’t have fingerprints, so Connor has to know the code to get into the apartment he needs to.

_ Maybe if this place had doors, _ Connor thinks,  _ I wouldn’t need a stupid code. It makes no sense for elevators to work like this. _

Niles has only been in Detroit for three days, and this move has already proved to be taxing on Connor’s patience. He loves Niles, sure, but he has learned the hard way that moving is difficult. When Connor moved in with Hank, he didn’t have too many possessions besides clothes and plants, and it only took a day to get settled in. They’ve lived there ever since, and Connor hasn’t had to deal with anything like this.

When the elevator door opens right into Niles’ new apartment, Connor is quickly reminded how crazy his brother is.

Connor sets all of the plants down carefully on the wood floor, then assesses the damage. Boxes are strewn  _ everywhere _ throughout the penthouse, even lined up against the large windows covering the entire wall opposite the elevator. The furniture is still covered in plastic, and Connor looks around the large room, ignoring the obvious amounts of boxes in the bedroom and focusing on the kitchen area off to the side. He sighs, navigating through the maze of boxes. 

“You have entirely too much shit!” Connor says, perching himself on one of the recently unwrapped barstools. He shoves another box out of the way on the countertop, unable to see his brother over it.

Niles stands at the refrigerator, his head and arms hidden in the door and his backside sticking out. “I do not.” He states plainly. Connor flinches as Niles knocks something over with his butt, his eyes darting down to the glass now covering the floor. Niles groans, emerging from the fridge and stepping through the glass  and moving around the kitchen island to lean against the counter opposite Connor. “Fuck.”

Connor raises an eyebrow, making Niles bury his face in his hands. “Okay. I have entirely too much shit.”

Chuckling, Connor reaches out to pat Niles’ head, ruffling his dark hair. “It’s okay, Bubby. We can go through all of your things and get rid of some of it.”

Niles snaps his head back up, swatting Connor’s hand away. “No. You can help me unpack and find places to put things. We aren’t getting rid of  _ anything _ .”

“Should I provide the definition of a hoarder?”  
“No. You should shut up.”

“Hm,” Connor taps his chin, then stands. “Well if we’re going to-” He stops as Niles’ phone makes a sound from his pocket, then watches as his brother’s LED flashes yellow for a few seconds. Connor thinks about Reed, and frowns. “Are you texting someone right now?”

“What? No. I don’t have any friends.” Niles rolls his eyes at the implication, but his phone makes another sound, and his LED flashes again. Connor narrows his eyes. “Okay, yes. I am.”

“Who?”

Niles sighs. “Not your business.”

“Wow, okay.” Connor turns on his heel and begins to march away, losing some confidence as he bumps into a tower of boxes. “I’m just going to take all of my plants and leave. You obviously don’t want me here.”

“Fine, leave. I’ll do this myself.”

Connor waves over his shoulder as he finally reaches the cluster of plants. “I will see you at work on Monday.”

Niles sighs again, then clears his throat. “Fuck.” Connor picks up the first plant. “Wait, don’t leave.” Connor turns, pursing his lips. Niles frowns. “Don’t make me, ugh.  _ Fine. _ I need your help, here. It’s a mess, and my stress levels are really high and if you leave I will die.”

Connor smiles, nodding and turning to remove his suit jacket, setting it on a pile of boxes by the elevator. “No phone. I’ve had enough of people choosing to text rather than speak to me. It happened  _ all  _ day today. I don’t need it from you, too.”

Nodding, Niles takes his phone out of his pocket, making a show of turning it off and setting it face down on the counter. “There. Now tell me about these plants.” He pushes the box towers out of the way, making his way over to the gathering of pots. “There are twenty seven plants here.” Connor nods. “Connie, you just said I have too much shit.”

“Yes. Plants are not shit.” Connor smiles, holding out the succulent in his hand. “I bought you twenty- _ eight _ little friends.”

“Friends? They’re plants.”

Connor frowns again, and Niles recoils before he can get a lecture about living beings again, stepping out of the way so Connor can gather the plants in his arms and set them by the wall of windows. “The view is nice.” He says, looking out on the snow covered Detroit. “We should probably start unpacking. That way when birds fly by they can’t see how messy you are.”

Niles scoffs. “I am a state of the art supercomputer. I am not afraid of the opinions of birds.”

Connor rolls his eyes again, then starts opening the boxes stacked against the windows, pulling out some of the junk before turning back to the room. “You bought shelves, right?” Niles nods, pointing to a large box leaning against the plastic covered couch. Connor is disappointed to find that it’s two bookshelves, unopened and not put together. He groans. “Okay, then this is first, I guess. Let’s clear a spot to put this stuff together.”

Nodding, Niles complies, pushing box towers out of the way, then kneeling as Connor sets down the long box in front of them. He holds his hand out, his synthetic skin peeling back to his wrist as his index finger shifts, morphing into a small screwdriver. Connor sighs at the motion, trying to ignore how  _ mad _ he is that CyberLife decided on making Niles a walking Swiss-Army knife  _ after _ they made Connor. That would be so convenient.

Niles senses his jealousy, and turns the corners of his lips upwards in a slight smile. Or, as much of a smile as he ever gives. “Thank you for helping me, Connie.” Connor rolls his eyes and gets to work removing the tape from the outside of the box. Niles chuckles a little. “Wait until you see how I packed the guitars.” 

“What?”

“They are also covered in tape.”

“It’s a good thing I love you, Bubby. You are a pain in the ass.” Connor sighs again, knowing that they are most definitely not going to finish this today. He tries to focus on putting the shelves together, only allowing his mind to wander when he thinks about being at home in his bed. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**10:15 pm**

Connor makes one of Hank’s favorite pastas for dinner, and turns on some cheesy Christmas movie that Hank has on DVD. Connor doesn’t even learn the title of the film, because two seconds after it starts, Hank wraps his arm around Connor’s shoulder. That escalates as Connor pulls the blanket up higher, then escalates farther as Connor ends up laying with his back pressed into the couch cushions underneath his fiance as Hank presses soft kisses into the crook of Connor’s neck.

“Can I ask you something?” Connor breathes, tangling a hand into Hank’s hair. Hank grunts in response, not moving from Connor’s neck. Connor shifts, not wanting to ruin the mood. “Do you like my LED?”

Hank leans back, peering down at Connor quizzically. “What?”

“Do you like my LED?” Connor asks again, blinking slowly. 

Sighing, Hank returns to Connor’s neck. “Of course I do, Con.” Connor shivers as he feels Hank’s teeth, secretly hoping that androids could get bruises the way humans do. Shutting his eyes, he tries to relax, but his mind ends up elsewhere, thinking about how worked up he got this morning. “Why do you ask? Do you not like it?” Hank asks, nuzzling his nose by Connor’s ear.

“Sometimes…” Connor begins, letting a hand fall lazily off of the couch to find Sumo’s head, running his fingers through the sleeping dog’s soft fur. “Sometimes I wish I looked more like a human. My LED kind of… gets in the way of that. Sometimes,” Connor gasps when Hank bites his neck again. “I want people to treat me better than they do. Sometimes I think that if I didn’t have one, no one would know I’m an android.”

Hank sits up again, a frown on his face. Connor figures his LED must be yellow, because it shines against Hank’s nose, painting him in a golden light. “You don’t want people to know you’re an android?”

Connor nods meekly, shutting his eyes again. “I think I just… Wish I were human.”

“Hmm.” Hank runs his thumb through his beard, thinking for a second. “Do you know what you look like without it?” Connor shakes his head. “Let’s find out.” Hank’s hand finds the side of Connor’s skull, covering the yellow circle with his palm. He gasps. “Fuck, Connor.”

“What?” Connor asks, his hand moving from Sumo to cover Hank’s. “Does it look bad?”

Smiling, Hank leans forward to press his lips to Connor’s nose, his voice softening to a gruff whisper. “You’re still gorgeous.” Connor’s chest flutters, and when Hank moves his hand, his face is painted with blue light. “I love the way you look, and you never have to change for me. You shouldn’t let other people get to you. If they don’t like you because of this,” Hank pokes the LED. “Then they’re fucking stupid, and not worth your time, Baby.”

Connor tries to smile, but Hank asks, “Is it Reed?”

Silence passes between them briefly before, “Yes. Partly.”

Hank sighs. “I’ll kick his ass for you. No one gets to talk to you like that, not even his weasley, cocky self.”

That’s enough for Connor, he guesses, and he turns his head to the television. “I don’t even know the title of this movie.”

“Christmas Shoes.” Hank says, turning to look as well. “This movie fuckin’ sucks.”

Connor smiles, leaning up to kiss Hank’s cheek. “Do you want to skip it? I kind of just want to sleep.” 

Nodding, Hank untangles himself from the blanket, standing upright to take Connor’s hand and help him up from the couch. Sumo wakes up and follows them out of the living room once the television is off, and Connor gets to spend the rest of his night the way he fantasized about all day, his favorite person and his favorite dog snuggled up against him as he drifts into stasis.


	6. Bigmouth Strikes Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gavin somehow manages to piss off everyone because he is a disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings for being outed by someone else (gay) and choking (not kinky)

**Dec 7, 2041**

**10:51 pm**

Gavin shivers in the cold, ignoring the conversation happening around him as he looks down at his phone, checking it _again_. To his extreme disappointment, he only sees the messages he sent in the last hour and a half, still with no response.

**Hello??**

**You’re still coming tonight, right?**

**Yo**

**Oh, so you can text me all day, then just fuckin ignore me? What’s that about?**

**FINE don’t answer me**

**...I’m just kidding please answer me I really like you**

“Gav.” He looks up at Tina, blinking through the snow falling against his face. She raises an eyebrow, and he realizes that the line has moved, so he takes a few steps forward. He goes to check his phone again before Tina snatches it. “What are you so distracted for?”

He shrugs, and Tina hands back his phone. He pockets it, not wanting to start an argument. Gavin folds his hands together, leaning against the brick wall and watching his own breath settle on the cold air. The Blue Lagoon is unusually crowded for a Thursday, and Gavin can’t believe they’ve been in the line outside for nearly twenty minutes. He’s freezing his _ass_ off, and really wishes that kids would stop trying to get in. Gavin is already tired of watching girls in tight dresses, despite the cold, trying to flirt their way in, only to get forcibly kicked out for being underaged.

Maybe that would make Gavin less angry if he wasn’t currently being stood up.

Tina jabs at his shoulder, making Gavin wince. “Okay, settle this for us.”

“Settle what?”

She gestures to Chris, who looks goofy with his beanie pulled down over his ears. “He doesn’t know what to get his wife for Christmas. She gave him a spending limit.”

Gavin whistles low, fishing into his pocket for his box of cigarettes. “That’s rough. What’s the limit?”

“Twenty-five dollars.” Chris responds meekly, looking like a kicked animal. “Last year our limit was thirty, and she made me this amazing scrapbook with pictures of us and Damian.”

Coughing out a puff of smoke, Gavin winces. “What did you get her?”

Chris shakes his head, so Tina snorts. “Socks.”

“ _Socks?_ ” Gavin lets his mouth hang open. “Jesus, do you not love her?” Chris starts to argue, but Gavin holds up his hand. “Look, you want it to be perfect?” Chris nods. “Ignore the limit. Buy her something really shiny. I’m talking diamonds or some shit like that. Something that twinkles when the lights shine on it so she feels like a star.” He pauses for a second, taking another drag. “Try something that’s blue, like levian topaz. That would look gorgeous with her eyes.” Tina mumbles something about that being a gay answer, but Gavin continues, clearing his throat. “Then, wait for your kid to fall asleep and fuck her brains out.”

“Ugh,” Chris groans. “You’re no help, at all.” He turns, the three of them inching a bit forward as the line shifts again. “Tina, seriously. Help me out here. It’s December already, and I know she’s had my present since before Halloween.”

Tina sighs, reaching for Gavin’s cigarette and sticking it between her teeth. “You want perfect? Don’t undermine her. Stick to the limit.” She eyes Gavin, who shrugs. “Just make her something you know she’ll love. Work with Damian, make her something together. I know she loves you both.”

She continues to rattle on as the line moves again, and Gavin tunes her out when she starts saying things like “Speaking from the standpoint of another woman,” Gavin rolls  his eyes, about to take the cigarette back from her when his phone vibrates in his pocket. His heart rate spikes, and he digs the thing out and waits for the screen to light up.

It’s from Niles.

**_i’m sorry. my brother was helping me unpack some things at my apartment and he requested that i turn my phone off. i am on my way now. ETA- 6 minutes and 45 seconds._ **

Gavin smiles at that, glad that he was just overreacting. Quickly, he regrets being a dick.

**Uh it’s cool. Sorry for blowing up your phone.**

**_what? you did not blow up anything._ **

**It’s an expression. Like, I sent you a lot of shit over and over again.**

**_did you? i have not seen those messages, hang on._ **

**_oh._ **

Chewing on his lower lip, Gavin takes more steps with Tina and Chris, not noticing when Tina stamps out the cigarette against the sidewalk.

**_i like you, too._ **

Gavin pockets his phone, grinning wide and almost bumping into Tina. She sneers, then moves to speak to the bouncer. _I didn’t even realize we got through the line,_ Gavin thinks, still grinning as they cross through the door into the dim hallway leading to the club. The music steadily grows louder as they enter, and Gavin takes a second to admire the large place.

Columns and platforms for dancing on, small booths and tables scattered around the edges of the dance floor, a long bar against the back wall. Gavin breathes in. The room smells sweaty. Tina gestures, and they make their way to their usual booth, unoccupied as always. Chris nods to one of the waitresses, and she moves to get them their usual round of shots. Kicking Gavin’s foot under the table, Tina leans forward, wiggling in her seat to get comfortable. She speaks louder in here to be heard over the music. “Alright. Where’s the mystery guy?”

Another grin sneaks onto Gavin’s lips. “He’s on his way.” Chris looks like he’s going to talk about presents again, and Gavin figures he should talk to them about Niles first. “Hey, uh,” He pauses, nodding politely as the waitress returns, setting their shots on the table. “I’m actually kind of glad we got here first. I think I should… warn you?”

“Warn us?” Tina squints, one eyebrow raised.

“Maybe that’s not the right way to phrase that.” Gavin scratches the side of his face, running his fingernails through the stubble on his cheek. “He uh…”

He pauses. “The mystery guy?” Chris offers.

“Right, uh.” Gavin isn’t sure if he even knows what he’s trying to say. He sighs. “It’s just, it surprised me at first so I figured I should… I don’t know.”

Tina rolls her eyes, then downs her shot with ease. “Spit it out, Gav,” She hisses, setting the glass on the wood with a resounding clink.

“He looks like Connor.”

Chris and Tina blink, then look at each other. Then, back at Gavin. “What?” Chris asks, reaching for his own shot without lifting it from the table just yet.

Gavin sighs again. “I think they’re the same model. They have the same face, but uh… Niles’ eyes are like blue-gray.”

Chris’ mouth opens and shuts, so Tina speaks for him. “So, Niles?” Gavin nods. “Niles, the guy you’ve been speaking to all day like you’re some kind of twelve-year-old girl… Is an android?”

Gavin nods, again. Chris clears his throat. “And looks exactly like your partner… Who you hate… For being an android?” Another nod. “Fuck,” Chris throws back his shot, not wincing at all.

Finally, Tina shakes her head. “Okay, whatever. I think it’s cool. Gavin, I love you. You know that, right?” He squints, and she sighs. “I love you, but you suck. Like, you’re hella racist. The fact that you even thought to warn us that the guy you like is an android, as if you thought we would be mad at you for liking someone who isn’t human, _is racist_.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gavin shrugs. “He’s not even hot or anything. Just Connor but tall. I just… he’s nice, and he’s funny. I’ve been screwing around with too many jerks, you know? I’d like to think I deserve someone nice and funny, even if it’s a nice and funny robot” He pauses again, considering. “Honestly, I _don’t_ think I deserve anyone good, because, I mean, you’re right. I _suck_. I was so mad at Shane, but I’m just as bad as him. I’m trying to be better, I swear. Maybe the first step towards me being more open-minded and less racist is by spending time with an android?”

Smiling, Tina places her hand over her chest. “Aw, Gav. That’s cute. People don’t just change like that, but whatever. You do you.” She places her other over Gavin’s on the table. “At least you’re trying.” Gavin rolls his eyes, then he partakes in drinking his own shot, sighing at the bite of the liquor. He watches as Chris’ gaze settles on something a little ways away from the table, and wonders if the waitress is back. Tina follows Chris’ path, blinking a few times. “Oh, shit, he _does_ look like Connor.”

Turning, Gavin grins, then stands quickly, moving to go grab Niles from the crowd of people. “Hey,” He begins, then stops.

Niles looks a little different than he did last night. Gavin isn’t sure if it’s the bright lights from the dancefloor or the fact that he’s mostly sober this time, but there are a few not-so-subtle things about Niles that are just… Huh. His eyes are outlined with dark makeup, contrasting his pale face and eyes greatly. He’s a bit taller than Gavin remembers, and the freckles that he thought were absent are actually all there, moles splattered on his face like ink flicked from a paintbrush. Niles raises an eyebrow. “Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah, sorry.” Gavin smiles a little, then turns, grabbing Niles’ arm. “I uh, we’re over there.” He points, and they make their way to the table.

Standing, Tina smiles. “Hey!” Her eyes dart between Niles and Gavin, urging him to say something other than _uh_.

Gavin clears his throat. “This is Tina, and Chris.” He gestures between them in turn, nodding to Chris and ignoring the dumbfounded look on his face. He turns, realizing his hand is still on Niles arm. After letting Niles go, “This is Niles.”

“Hello,” The corners of Niles’ mouth twitch in the ghost of a smile.

Gavin pulls him into the booth, sliding down on the cushion to make room for him. “Well, this is pretty fucking awkward, I guess.” He shrugs, then tries to wave at the waitress. “But, I’m glad you’re here. Work sucks, and I need to get drunk.”

The waitress returns with three more shots, then notices Niles. She leans over, whispering something into his ear, and he nods, that same almost smile present on his lips. Tina kicks Gavin under the table. “So,” She begins, tapping her fingernail against the rim of her shot glass. “You guys met here?”

“Yes,” Niles nods, tracking the movement of Tina’s finger. “Gavin asks a lot of personal questions.”

“Personal questions?” Tina smirks. “Can we ask you some more?”

“Yes.”

“How old are you?”

“My model is made to appear around thirty-one years of age, but I have only been active for three and a half years.”

“Where are you from?”

“CyberLife Tower.” Gavin rolls his eyes, watching Niles shrug beneath his black turtleneck. He’s weirdly drawn to Niles’ shoulders. “But, I imagine you mean where I lived before here?” Tina nods, brow furrowed. “Kalkaska.”

Tina clicks her tongue thoughtfully, then flicks her head back as she drinks her shot. She grits her teeth, so Chris chimes in, interrogating Niles like he’s some kind of criminal. This is exactly why Gavin doesn’t like bringing guys around the two of them. “Are you wearing makeup?”

Niles nods again, then thanks the waitress when she returns, setting a blue drink in front of him. “It’s eyeliner.” He takes a sip from the drink, making the same ‘ah’ sound as the night before. “It’s mostly a stylistic choice. I just… enjoy how it looks.”

“What’s in that?” Tina points into the tall glass.

“Thirium 310 and a mixture of chemicals that intoxicates androids, similar to the way alcohol affects humans.” He taps his LED, currently blue. “I’m an android.”

Chris groans as Tina reaches over and takes his shot, shaking her head and dismissing the burn of the liquor. “What do you want from our baby Gavin?”

Looking up, Gavin narrows his eyes, finally drawing his attention away from the broadness of Niles’ chest. “What the fuck kind of question is that?”

“I want to know what your intentions our with our son.” Tina leans forward, folding her arms on the table pointedly, tilting her head to stare Niles in the eyes. Gavin knows that she’s mostly joking. Usually, when Gavin introduces her to guys, they turn out to be huge jerks. Gavin guesses that he has really shitty taste in men, apparently, because every new guy makes Tina get really protective really quick. Chris mirrors her action, also looking down his nose and trying to look serious. Though, you would have to be really drunk not to notice the goofy grin set on his face.

Niles blinks, unphased. “As of right now, my intentions are to get to know him.” He looks down at Gavin, then back at Tina, holding her gaze and making her shift, a little uncomfortable with his severity. “These intentions might change, given time. I mean no disrespect to either one of you, but I only came here to see Gavin.” His LED cycles, blinking yellow, before, “Specifically, I want to dance with him. We spoke about that earlier today through text messages.”

Liquid fire stings Gavin’s throat as he drinks his own shot, then nudges Niles out of the booth. “Okay, well, we’re done with this, _Mom_ ” He exaggerates, gesturing at Tina. She laughs. “I didn’t ask to be born, I hate this fucking family, blah blah blah, moody teenager shit.” He pauses as Niles chugs the rest of the blue drink, then nods to his friends. “We’re gonna go dance, hop off his dick.”

“Okay.” Tina kicks him under the table before he stands, then lowers her voice when Niles turns to face away from the table. “Use a condom.”

Gavin flicks her off, then pushes Niles forward with his hands pressed against the android’s back. They navigate through a sea of people, Gavin groaning every time Niles utters an ‘excuse me’ or a ‘pardon us.’ _Just shove them out of the way,_ Gavin thinks, then remembers his vow to be nicer. _That’s for androids, though. Jesus, do I really have to be nice to humans, too? I hate everyone._

They find a small clearing, and Gavin pulls on Niles’ arm again to get him to start dancing. Gavin bounces, wiggling his toes in his shoes and watching Niles’ LED. It’s yellow for a solid five seconds before it swirls to blue. Recognizing this, Gavin’s bouncing slows, and he tips his head to the side. “Are you scanning me?”

“What?”

“My partner at work is an android. His LED does that when he scans me.” Gavin shakes his head. “I like you and all, but I’d really prefer if you didn’t do that.”

Niles frowns, and Gavin wonders if he’s overstepped. _Is asking him not to do android stuff racist?_ Gavin thinks, before Niles sighs. “I haven’t scanned you, no. My LED was yellow because I was thinking. I don’t dance much, and I was wondering what is the best approach for this kind of music.” He pauses, inhaling slowly. “Truthfully, I would rather not scan you at all. I like the idea of getting to know you and letting you tell me about yourself. I mean, I don’t even know your last name. If I scanned you I would know everything, even your social security number. If there’s no mystery to-” He gestures between the two of them. “ _Whatever_ this is, then what’s the point?”

“So, what, you’re a traditional kind of guy?”

“I suppose I am.”

“That’s nice.” Gavin starts dancing again, reaching out to take Niles’ hands to make him dance, too. “My last name is Reed by the way.”

Niles nods, loosening up a little. “I don’t have one.”

“That’s weird.”

“No, it is not. I am an android.”

Gavin doesn’t think he’s ever danced with someone who talks this fucking much. But, he can imagine himself getting used to it. Niles’ voice is smooth, and even though he continues to ramble when their dancing becomes a bit more intimate, Gavin likes it. He shuts his eyes, trying and failing to lose himself in the music, unable to turn his focus away from Niles half yelling into his ear about shit that doesn’t matter.

  
  
  
  
  


**Dec 8, 2041**

**2:15 pm**

“Wait, you _really_ didn’t sleep with him?”

Gavin shakes his head, peering down into his coffee cup rather than look up at Tina. She keeps trying to get details from  him about the night before, and he refuses to let her win this one. Ho stories be damned, he _really_ didn’t sleep with Niles.

Whistling, Tina taps his coffee cup, trying to get him to look up. He doesn’t and she sighs. “What happened, then?”

“We danced, he bought me another a drink, then we went home. Separately.” He shrugs, stirring the coffee with a small red straw.

“Damn,” She laughs a little. “You know I don’t believe you, right?”

He looks up, finally, his brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because you’re a slut.”

“I am _not_!”

“Gavin, you went home with two different guys this week.” She taps her chin. “What was that one guy’s name? The one you _investigated_?”

“I don’t remember.”

Tina laughs again. “Right, so a random guy and Shane.” She pokes Gavin’s nose with her index finger, smirking mischievously. “And now, Niles. That’s three. You’re a slut.”

“I didn’t hook up with-”

“Whatever, Gav, keep lying to me. That’s fine.”

“I’m not lying!”

He really wasn’t. Sure, Gavin thought about asking to go to Niles’ apartment, but when Niles noticed him yawn and suggested that he go home and get some sleep, Gavin didn’t argue. Honestly, he liked Niles, and didn’t really want to take things too fast. Fuck Tina for not believing him, but he really didn’t have sex with the android. Hell, they didn’t even kiss.“Can we just… drop it? I’m tired of talking about it.”

Tina rolls her eyes, the complies, bringing up a different subject. “You ready to get rid of O’Reilly?”

“I don’t know, actually.” Gavin sighs, looking out of the breakroom to watch Charles O'Reilly laugh with Captain Fowler in his glass office. Charlie’s last day is today, he’s transferring out of state to a precinct closer to his wife’s new job, and his replacement starts on Monday. Gavin supposes it will be a little weird, considering that Charlie has sat across from him for four years now. He’s definitely not looking forward to putting up with someone new at his desk clump, and has no idea what to expect from the new officer.

“Y’know,” Tina begins, gesturing to Fowler’s office. “Captain said he’s assigned to me.”

“What?”  
“The new officer,” She elaborates, drinking from her own coffee and flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. “He’s experienced, but he’s been assigned to my patrol.”

“No shit. What about Wilson?”

“He’s moving to work with Chris.”

Gavin blinks, confused. “But, Charlie worked with Chris. Isn’t the new guy replacing him?”

“Well, yeah. But, Fowler said I’m better with training for patrol.” Tina finishes her coffee, tossing the paper cup towards a trash can and celebrating when it lands in. “I don’t know, man. It’s just going to be different around here for a little while, I guess.”

Nodding, Gavin downs the rest of his coffee as well, attempting the same toss and missing the trash can by a few feet. He groans, going to pick it up as Tina crosses to the break room’s entrance to get back to her desk. When Gavin finally gets the cup in the bin, he’s surprised to find her still standing there. She looks concerned. “What’s wrong, Teen?”

“Uh,” She blinks, then points, and Gavin follows her motion to gaze at his desk, red crossing his vision when he sees what concerns her.

Connor sits at Gavin’s desk, his shoulders hunched as he gazes at something in his lap. Gavin takes a step forward, and the red turns into burning rage as he sees that Connor is going through a phone. _Gavin’s phone_.

Tina’s hand finds Gavin’s shoulder, trying to placate him. “Gav, wait.”

He shakes her off, smacking her hand away and quickly crossing over to his desk. When he speaks, the volume of his voice surprises himself just as much as it surprises Connor. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Connor springs to his feet. “I, uh,” His LED is bright red, his brown eyes darting around. “I’m”

“Give me that.” Gavin snatches the phone from him, looking down at the screen to see what he was doing. All of the apps have been closed out, no traces of Connor snooping around at all. Gavin presses his hand against Connor’s chest, shoving him away from the desk. “What the _fuck_ were you-”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t” Connor stammers, his eyes glancing to Tina, who tugs on Gavin’s jacket warily.

“You didn’t _what_ ? Think I would catch you?” Gavin spits, unable to hear anything over his own anger. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you do _not_ get to go through my shit. What were you doing?”

“I had to know,” Connor breathes, backing away from Gavin slowly.

“You had to know what?”

“ _Gavin_ ,” Tina warns, still pulling on him.

He looks around, noticing the other officers staring at him. Shaking his head, he grabs the lapels of Connor’s suit jacket, pulling him back to the desk. “Spit it out!”

“How you knew that man!” Connor continues to blink furiously, the light of his LED hurting Gavin’s eyes.

“What?”

“The- the protester. You knew him, and you didn’t ask him about the USB and I needed to know why.” Connor shakes his head frantically, hands moving to pull Gavin’s own hands off of him. Gavin juts his elbows out, stopping him and continuing to shake him. “The thought of you being one of those men made me worry. I couldn’t find anything about him in your background so I checked your phone. I swear I was just making sure you weren’t one of the people killing these androids.”

Gavin blinks, dumbfounded. “You… you thought that just because I knew him, I also hated androids so much that I protested against them and gave them viruses to fucking kill them?”

“That, with how much you say you hate androids every single day. Yes. I did.”

Slowly, Gavin lets go of Connor’s jacket, taking a step backward and bumping into Tina. He sighs, still angry. “You had no right-”

“I know. I did not.” Connor straightens his jacket. “And, I am sincerely sorry. It will not happen again.”

“Yeah, it won’t.” Gavin narrows his eyes. “If it does I will destroy you. I don’t care who’s looking out for androids in this place, or who’s dick you sucked to get you this job, I will end your life, you useless piece of fucking plastic.”

“ _Gavin, stop_.” Tina begs, pulling on his shirt again.

Gavin smacks her hand away, his eyes still locked on Connor’s, not caring about how silent the rest of the room is. He’s sure everyone is watching him. _Good,_ Gavin thinks, stepping forward again. _This has just been waiting to happen. Someone needs to crush this asshole_.

“You have no idea how scary I can be, and you are _so_ lucky that Fowler assigned you to me, because if I didn’t need this job, you’d be fucking dead.” He shoves Connor’s chest again, watching the LED on his temple blink quickly. “You’re an entitled piece of shit, and you think that just because androids are free now, you can act like a person. You’re _not_ a person, no matter who says you are. You don’t feel things, you don’t care about anyone, and you definitely were not _worried_ that I was killing androids.”

“I- I was.” Connor looks over his shoulder at his own desk, stepping backwards again. “I am.”

“You weren’t.” Gavin grabs his jacket again. “You’re only here because people feel bad for you. That one android did a nice job of convincing people that androids feel things but they don’t. I know better than that. You are _literally_ a computer. You can not and will not _ever_ be human or care about anything.” His hands find Connor’s throat, Connor’s hands raising quickly to cover Gavin’s and trying to pull them away. “You’re nothing, you’re just-”

“That’s enough!” Lieutenant Anderson’s voice rings throughout the precinct.

Connor hiccups static, and Gavin lets go, breathing heavily. His eyes dart, seeing that Hank has made his way to the desk as well. Gavin looks around the room, seeing that _every single person_ is staring at them with slack jaws, not believing how quickly things escalated and not understanding why.

Even Captain Fowler has stepped out of his office, leaning against the railing to glare at Gavin.

Gavin’s anger disperses, and the red in his vision clears away. _Fuck_.

“Are you alright?” Hank puts his hand on Connor’s shoulder. Gavin realizes he must have held Connor’s throat harder than he thought, because Gavin can see that the synthetic skin around his neck is gone, revealing the white plastic of his body underneath. The white stretches up to his mouth, only the upper half of his face and ears covered with skin. He nods, his LED still red and blinking rapidly.

Hank’s hands find Gavin’s sweater, yanking him up into the air and slamming him against the glass wall beside his desk. “Okay, you little shit. Let’s talk about this. First of all, it is _very_ illegal to treat androids the way that you just did, and I am _this_ close to arresting you.” He pinches two of his fingers together, holding Gavin up with only one hand. Gavin struggles, letting his dangling feet kick against the glass. “Second, you are probably the stupidest, most thick-skulled douchebag I have ever met. Androids are very alive, and feel things the same way that humans do. Third,” He gestures with his free hand. “You are going to apologize to Detective Connor right now, because, if you don’t, I will kick the shit out of you.”

The red dances across Gavin’s vision again, anger bubbling back to the surface. “Why?” He continues to struggle, trying to free himself from Hank’s grip. “Why should I apologize to the machine snooping through my personal things? He stepped out of line.”

“No, _you_ did.” Hank drops him, keeping his hand pressed to Gavin’s chest to keep him pinned against the wall. “You absolutely _cannot_ assault another officer of the law, human or android.” He lowers his voice. “If you don’t apologize, you could be suspended. Don’t be stupid.”

“The only one who’s stupid is you!” Gavin growls, kicking Hank’s shin. “You’re a human, Anderson. Why defend some piece of plastic?”

Hank sighs, pressing his hand harder against Gavin’s chest, making Gavin gasp. “That _piece of plastic_ is an amazing detective and an even better person. He’s saved my life in more ways than one and I refuse to let some fucking asshole make him feel like garbage. Especially not some puny weasel who thinks he can choke androids at work for no reason.”

“No reason? He stole my phone. He went through my shit.”

“You gave him cause to be suspicious of your intentions. I would go through your phone if I thought you were a psychopath who had it out for humans.” Hank glances back at Connor. “I told him to do it.”

“You… what?”

“He was concerned for his well-being, I gave him the clear.” Gavin’s mouth hangs open. “You gave another officer reason to believe that you were dangerous, Reed. I told him to look.”

The red blinds Gavin, and he can feel himself shaking. His anger overcomes him, and he spits words venomously. “Fuck you.”

Hank sputters. “What?”

“Fuck.” Gavin kicks his shin again. “You.” He shoves Hank off of him, and finally steps away from the wall. “There is no way I am apologizing to a computer, and if you think that it actually cares about anything, even it’s ‘well-being’, you’re stupid.”

Hank’s mouth falls open, but Gavin continues. “It’s a machine. Machines don’t do anything other than obey orders. You told it to go through my shit, and that’s on you. _You_ tell it to do things, and it obeys. And, if you think that this thing actually gives a _fuck_ about you, you’re a moron. An actual fucking idiot. I can’t even begin to imagine how anyone could believe that androids feel things, let alone think that they’re _alive_. They’re not. They’re robots. Stop being stupid and let me beat the shit out of it.”

Grabbing Gavin’s shirt again, Hank lifts him up, not bothering to pin him against the wall this time.“You little-”

“That’s not true.”

Gavin peers over Hank’s shoulder at Connor, his skin slowly covering his neck again. Gavin blinks, not sure if he’s seeing things right as Hank lowers him, setting Gavin’s feet back on the ground. Tears trail down Connor’s cheeks as weak, static-filled sobs erupt from his chest. Gavin’s anger disappears again, replaced quickly by throbbing guilt. _Fuck_.

Like Gavin’s, Hank’s anger recedes, his eyebrows drooping. “Con,”

“It’s not true.” Connor wipes his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I care about you, Hank. I do. I do. I-” His body shakes, his head dropping to look at his feet. “I care. I care. _I care_.” Gavin sees the tears stream down his neck, dampening the stiff collar of his shirt. “It’s not true. It’s not true.” Connor repeats to himself, his voice vading to a whisper.

Hank releases Gavin completely, quickly stalking over to the android with concern on his features. “Hey, don’t cry.” His hands cup Connor’s cheeks, pulling his face up to look him in the eyes. “Don’t’- _Baby_ , don’t cry.”

 _Baby._ Gavin’s brow furrows. He turns to Tina to ask if she heard that, too, but she stares at Connor with wide, heart-broken eyes. _Fuck_ , Gavin thinks, knowing that he really messed up this time.

Using his thumbs to wipe Connor’s eyes, Hank smiles weakly. “I know you care about me, Con. I do.”

“I care.” Connor mumbles, his LED no longer blinking. Just a steady, unmoving, devastating red. “I care.”

“I know.” Hank runs his hand down Connor’s cheek. “Reed is an asshole, you can’t let him get to you. He’s stupid. _You_ care about me, Baby, I know you do.”

Slowly, Connor nods, his lips twisting into a crooked line. Hank leans forward, and Gavin _knows_ he’s seeing things, but the gasps from the other people in the room are confirmation enough. Gavin isn’t crazy. He isn’t seeing things. Hank’s mouth is on Connor’s. Hank is kissing him. Softly. Holding him tightly.

The metaphorical gears in Gavin’s brain stop, clicking together as Gavin realizes what’s happening. How _badly_ he has fucked up.

Hank pulls away from Connor, a small smile present on his face. He whispers something that Gavin can’t hear, and Connor nods. “I love you.”

“I know, Con. I love you, too.”

Gavin definitely hears _that_.

Turning, Hank looks back at Gavin, then glances around the precinct, knowing that _everyone_ just saw him kiss Connor. _On the mouth_ . He sighs, addressing the room. “For those of you that don’t know, Connor and I are engaged. We’re getting married next year.” Beside Gavin, Tina’s hand touches to her chest, her mouth open in pleasant shock. Gavin’s stomach churns. _God, why am I so awful?_ “We wanted to wait until it got closer to the wedding to tell you all, but, yeah, that’s why we can’t work together anymore. Why Connor was assigned to work with Detective Reed.”

He glances at Connor again, who’s LED has cycled to yellow as he furiously tries to dry his cheeks. Desperate to make it look like he’s hasn’t been sobbing. Hank continues, addressing Gavin. “Thank you, _so much_ , for trying to convince my _fiance_ that he doesn’t care about me. That he doesn’t love me.” Gavin needs to vomit. “That _I_ am a _moron_ for loving him.

“Jeffrey,” Hank turns towards Captain Fowler, still leaned against the railing. “We’re going home and taking a long weekend. I… We can’t do this. We can’t be here. I can’t be around him.”

Fowler nods. “Yes, of course. We can discuss this further on Monday.”

Hank stalks to the other side of the room, gathering things from his desk, then moving to Connor’s. Gavin stares at Connor, trying to find the words to say. “I didn’t,” He begins, still not sure how to handle things.

Connor shakes his head. “Don’t.” He says softly, blinking away the last of the tears. “Please don’t.”

Grabbing Connor’s hand, Hank practically drags him through the glass doors and out of the precinct. Gavin exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, then turns to Tina. Her open mouth quickly scrunches into a frown, and she shoves Gavin’s shoulders, pushing him into his desk. “What is wrong with you?” She shakes her head, looking over at Chris, still sitting at his desk, completely astonished. “Why is he likes this?”

Chris shrugs, opening his mouth to say something before,

“Reed.” Gavin turns to Captain Fowler, who pushes open the glass door to his office. “Let’s talk.”

Gavin turns to Tina, watching as she slinks to her desk, throwing herself into her chair and spinning to glare at her blank terminal. Sighing, Gavin walks to Fowler’s office, dreading this completely. He shuts the door behind him, slowly sinking into one of the chairs, continuously glancing out at Tina through the glass.

“Okay,” Fowler begins, running both of his hands over the top of his head, blinking as he tries to process what happened. “Obviously, this is… a problem.” Gavin nods. “While I think that it’s good that Hank and Connor’s relationship is now… _known_ , I don’t think that the way it happened was-”

“I know,” Gavin interrupts. “I had no idea about them. That…” He searches for the right words. “Outing them was _not_ my intention.”

“So, what _was_ your intention? Just to hurt Detective Connor?”

Gavin decides to shut his stupid, big mouth. _Tina’s right. Why am I like this?_

“Well,” Fowler continues, leaning back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. “On Monday, I will have to ask Connor if he wants to press charges against you.” Gavin blinks. “You strangled him. Technically, assault like that is a felony. Um…” He runs his hand down his face, sighing deeply. “Then, of course, Hank is now completely able to file a lawsuit against you and the department for harassing his significant other. Even more so, because they’re both men, that’s… That will be seen as severe homophobia.”

Sighing again, Fowler finally looks at Gavin. “Okay. As of right now, I’m going to suspend you.”

“What?”

“I’ll talk to Hank when he gets back to see if that suspension should lead to termination.”

“ _What?_ ”

Fowler shrugs. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Gavin. You strangled another officer and called your superior a moron. I…” He laughs a little, shaking his head. “I can’t help you. You’ve really fucked yourself here.”

Gavin stammers. “I know, but I-”

“I can’t....” Fowler leans forward. “I _have_ to suspend you. And, if Hank thinks that it’s the right course of action, I have to fire you. Your disciplinary folder is a wreck, and this… God, Reed, this is going to make it look so much worse.” He shakes his head again, pointing to the door. “Go home. I will call you on Monday. Whether that’s to let you know how long your suspension is or if it’s to fire you, is completely up to Hank.”

Nodding, Gavin stands, ignoring as Fowler mumbles, “ _Jesus fucking Christ_ ” under his breath. Gavin gathers his things, then leaves the precinct, reaching up to wipe the tears forming in his eyes.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**11:56 pm**

Tina doesn’t answer Gavin all day. He texts her, calls her when he knows she’s not working, but she doesn’t answer. By now, he’s left ten different voicemails. _God, I fucked up_ , Gavin thinks, scrolling through his phone to see the last person he texted and their response.

Not Tina, not Chris.

_Niles._

**Can I see you tonight? I’ve literally just had the shittiest day of my life and I need someone to make me feel better.**

**_of course. where and when?_ **

**Blue Lagoon. Ten minutes.**

**_i will be there._ **

Gavin looks around from the booth he always sits at with his friends, knowing that it’s wrong to wish that Tina came here tonight. Sure, the probability of him losing his job is terrifying, and the thought of wrecking Connor and Hank’s relationship is heartbreaking, but, what Gavin really cares about is Tina. Tina is his best fucking friend, and he pissed her off. That’s the worst part of all of this. He loves her, he really does, and now she hates him. Tina hates Gavin because he’s a stupid, racist idiot, and he can’t blame her.

Briefly, he thinks about Niles, wondering if seeing someone that looks exactly like the dude he strangled earlier today is going to fuck his mind up even more than it already is. That thought disappears when he spots Niles approaching the booth quickly. Instead of sitting across from him like Gavin expects, Niles slides in on the seat with him, placing his hands on the table and inching closer to Gavin. Their thighs brush together, and Gavin feels the emotions well up in his throat again.

“What happened?” Niles asks, blue eyes running over Gavin slowly.

Gavin sighs. “I got suspended. My boss isn’t sure if he’s going to fire me yet, but I think he should.”

Niles blinks. “You think he should fire you?”

“Yeah. I deserve it.”

“Why?”

“I’m horrible.”

Gavin startles as Niles’s hand touches his cheek, wiping at Gavin’s eye with his thumb. Gavin didn’t even realize he had started crying. “I don’t think you’re horrible.” Niles states, brow furrowed. “I think you’re great.”

“You shouldn’t.” Gavin flails his arms, exasperated. “I suck.”

Niles chuckles, shaking his head. “Didn’t you ask me to make you feel better? Stop being so self-deprecating.” Gavin opens his mouth, but Niles covers it with his hand. His hand smells clean, like soap. “I think that you’re very intriguing, and nice to look at. While your personality is a bit temperamental, I think you’re a good person. You act mean as a defense mechanism, but once someone figures that out, you can open up to them and be yourself. I think that you think lowly of yourself, though you shouldn’t. You’re kind, deep down, and funny, and a good dancer. And your eyes are astounding.” He pauses. “Should I continue?”

Gavin nods, wiping his eyes as Niles takes his hand away, freeing Gavin’s mouth. “You text like a crazy person, but your sentences are mostly coherent. You’re bold, you don’t care what people think about you and you say what’s on your mind. No matter what anyone else thinks, you speak _your_ truth. I like you, Gavin. And I don’t appreciate you saying that you’re horrible, because that is insulting to me. If you were really horrible, would I be here right now?”

“N-no.”

“Exactly, so don’t be so hard on yourself. I have excellent standards and I know good people when I see them. You are quite honestly very-”

Gavin cuts the sentence short, pressing his lips to Niles’ mouth with ferocity. Niles makes a noise, but shuts his eyes, letting Gavin kiss him desperately. He parts his lips, letting Gavin’s tongue roam the inside of his mouth, his hand moving from the table to run up Gavin’s thigh.

It’s been a while since Gavin kissed someone like this. Usually, desperate kisses like this are just for sex. For random hook-ups, just for the sake of kissing someone desperately. This, however, Gavin _needs_ this. He needs to feel something other than guilt. He needs something to get lost in. He pulls away, blinking up at Niles, breathing heavily and watching Niles’ cheeks turn a light shade of blue. He tilts his head, gesturing for Niles to kiss him there, then sighing when Niles bites at his jugular.

The guilt creeps back into Gavin’s thoughts as he wonders if it was selfish to ask for Niles to come here. To ask someone to distract him. _Am I using him?_ Gavin thinks, not focusing as Niles runs his tongue from Gavin’s collarbone up to his jawline. _Is this wrong? Am I ruining things even more?_ Gavin remembers what he thought about the night before. He wants to take things slow with Niles. _We shouldn’t. I shouldn’t._

“Hey,” Niles mumbles into Gavin’s neck, nuzzling his nose against the skin there, making Gavin shiver. “You want me to make you feel better?” Gavin nods. “Let’s get out of here.”

“What?”

Niles presses another kiss to Gavin’s lips, smiling that same not-quite-there smile. “Come back to my apartment. I can distract you from work.”

 _Not like this, Gavin_ . Gavin hates himself, for thinking this, even more so after everything he said today. _Some other time. Tell him you want to take things slow. Get him to stop_. “No.” Gavin says, hesitant, but knowing that it’s the right thing to do. Niles laughs, kissing Gavin again. Gavin shakes his head, more sure this time. “No.”

Still almost smiling, Niles tilts his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong. I’d just… Rather stay here.”

Niles blinks, kissing Gavin again. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

He’s not angry, not upset, just understanding. That makes Gavin feel worse. He knows he needs to do something. Say something. _Tell him you want to take things slow._ Gavin’s brain repeats, urging him to communicate what he wants. Gavin’s mouth falls open, but he can’t bring himself to do it. _Tell him_.

“Gavin, are you alright?”

_Tell him._

“Gavin?”

In this moment, Niles makes the same expression that Connor made after Hank kissed him earlier. Niles looks exactly like Connor.

Gavin turns, finally giving into the urge he’s had all day, spilling the contents of his stomach onto the booth beside him.

Niles sputters, placing a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Fuck, are you okay? How much have you had to drink?”

_Tell him how awful you are. Tell him how you strangled someone that looks exactly like him just for being an android. Tell him. Tell him._

Struggling for words, Gavin spits out something that is the exact opposite of what he’s been trying to say. “I don’t fuck androids.”

“ _What_?”

“I-” Gavin wipes the vomit from his mouth onto his sleeve, _really_ not sure what’s wrong with him, apparently determined to make this shitty day even worse. “I-” Niles blinks, LED swirling to red. _Fuck fuck fuck._

“The prospect of having intercourse with an android made you vomit?” Niles asks, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. Gavin tries to shake his head, because, _no,_ but Niles continues. “You- huh.” He sighs, sliding out of the booth.

“Niles, wait I-”

“Fuck you.”

Gavin’s heart breaks. _Fuck fuck fuck_. “That’s not what I-”

He recognizes the look on Niles’ face, the same amount of hurt that Tina expressed earlier. The pain on Connor’s features, the panic lacing Hank’s visage. “Thank you for getting my hopes up. I really liked you.” Niles’ voice is emotionless, but his face speaks volumes, sadness loud enough to bury Gavin. _Fuck fuck fuck._ Gavin watches as Niles leaves, hating himself more than ever, for screwing up literally everything he possibly could.

“Have a nice life, Gavin.”


	7. Oscillate Wildly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor tries not to let what Gavin said get to him

**Dec 9, 2041**

**6:10 pm**

Apparently, Niles knows Detective Reed.

No, that’s not the right way to phrase that.

Niles  _ kissed _ Detective Reed. The image still makes Connor want to vomit. 

Upon returning to their house the day before, Connor got in bed. He couldn’t think very clearly, and felt entirely too tired to speak to anyone other than Hank. He was relieved when Captain Fowler agreed to let them leave early. Connor still can’t imagine having to continue to work after  _ that _ nonsense.

That’s all this is. Nonsense.  _ Stop being weird, _ Connor tells himself.  _ Just stop. _

Hank held Connor while he laid in bed, and eventually, Hank fell asleep. It was nice, to listen to the soothing sound of Hank’s soft, gentle breathing. Connor stayed awake, refusing to go into stasis, instead opting to stare at the ceiling and let his mind yell to stop being weird for fifteen hours. Hank woke up this morning, Connor stayed in bed, content to lay there for awhile, at least until he would inevitably have to go back to work. Connor didn’t want to move.

Until Niles called.

Connor can’t get rid of the image, no matter how hard he presses the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. And now, whenever he interfaces with  _ any _ other android, he will be reminded of what Niles showed him. After meeting with Niles at his apartment and listening to him complain about some guy he had been seeing, Connor ranted about what happened on Friday. All of the things Reed said and how they made him feel.

How conflicted he felt, because part of it seemed… true somehow? Connor was beginning to feel like he wasn’t human enough. Maybe he really didn’t care about Hank?

No. He does. Connor cares. Connor loves Hank. Doesn’t he?

It wasn’t until Connor said Reed’s first name that Niles suggested they interfaced. Ra9, how stupid they had both felt. Connor to a considerably lesser extent. Niles punched a wall.

_ Stupid Gavin. What does he know? _ Connor runs a hand through his hair, unruly and undoubtedly strange looking to anyone that doesn’t know the crisis he’s currently having. It’s not even dark outside and he’s laying in his bed again, alone. He can hear Hank cooking something in the kitchen.  _ It’s good that he’s cooking. _ Connor thinks, trying to normalize things.  _ Cooking is good. He should eat. He doesn’t have to lay in bed and comfort someone who apparently doesn’t care about him. _

Connor rolls his eyes as he thinks it, because it absurd. Of course he loves Hank. He’s never doubted it before.  _ What’s wrong with me? _

He rolls over onto his side, trying to cover his LED for a moment, not enjoying the red glow it paints over the sheets. This entire situation is stupid. Connor doesn’t even like Gavin. So, why did the things he say resonate with Connor? Why is this happening? Why is he painicking?

_ “I can’t even begin to imagine how anyone could believe that androids feel things, let alone think that they’re alive. They’re not. They’re robots. Stop being stupid and let me beat the shit out of it.” _

Why does that hurt so much?

Connor thinks that maybe it’s because part of what Gavin said was true. Sure, Connor knows that he’s a deviant, and that he’s not some heartless android killer, but… has Connor ever even thought about what it means to be a deviant? What it means to feel things? He has no idea what a human feels when they’re in love, so how can he be sure that that’s what he feels?

Really, Connor  _ thinks _ he loves Hank. He could be wrong.

_ What if I don’t? What if I don’t care as much as I say I do? What if I can’t actually feel things? Is this all just some dumb glitch in my software? _

That’s probably the scariest thought that Connor keeps having. That if he were to ever be forcibly reset he wouldn’t be the same. He  _ thinks _ he cares about Hank now, but what happens if he reboots? Will those feelings remain? Or were they never even there to begin with? He can’t imagine not loving Hank. They’ve been together for so long, Connor can’t even remember much of what happened before they actually started dating. None of that matters, anyway. The only thing that matters to Connor is Hank.

_ Gavin doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s stupid and doesn’t know  _ anything  _ about me or my relationship.  _ Connor rolls onto his back, fixing his gaze on the spot on the ceiling where the paint is chipped, the same spot he’s been staring at for almost a full day.  _ Fuck Gavin.  _

That makes Connor think about Niles, and he has to rub his eyes again. 

What was Niles thinking? It’s incredibly dangerous to get so close to someone you haven’t run any sort of scan on. Connor can’t help but feel responsible for Niles’ messy love life. He woke Niles up, he suggested that Niles find somewhere else to live, to be on his own and enjoy life for himself. Even worse, Connor impulsively talks about Hank  _ all the time. _ He can’t talk about his relationship at work, and just feels the need to gush about the man he loves any second he can.

It may or may not have a negative effect on Niles. When Niles was still in Kalkaska, they would speak over the phone almost every week. Connor tried his hardest to keep in touch with his brother, and, mostly, it went well. They have always told each other everything, and unfortunately, that means Connor knows all about what Niles had been up to before moving back to Detroit.

Connor isn’t sure if it’s because Niles wants a good, committed relationship like Connor’s own, but Niles is very quick to throw himself at people almost desperately. Though Connor loves Niles, sure, he wishes that Niles would stop being so… easy. Too often were their phone conversations about men and women not calling Niles back. Too often did Connor hear how distraught Niles was because no matter what he did, no one liked him enough to spend more than one night with him.

_ That _ , makes Connor angry. Niles is great! He just… dives too quickly towards people that suck. People that don’t deserve him.

Part of the reason Connor suggested that Niles transfer here was to get him away from the jerks in Kalkaska. To hopefully protect him from getting hurt  _ again. _ Apparently, he did a terrible job and Niles got his hopes up over  _ Gavin Reed,  _ of all people. The thought still makes Connor sick. If Connor ever sees Gavin again he’s going to punch him. Not even for strangling Connor, or for making Hank upset.  _ For hurting Niles. _

_ That’s my fault. I told him to come here. I didn’t look out for him and now he’s upset. Again. I’m a terrible brother. _

Thinking about Gavin again makes Connor’s head throb. How can someone so rude and insignificant to Connor’s life make him rethink his own emotions? Make him think he doesn’t love his fiance?

_ I’m going to be a terrible husband. _

Connor pushes that thought away, determined to at least be a good fiance. If, eventually, he’s going to be awful at the whole marriage thing, he might as well be good now. After untangling himself from the pile of blankets, he steps out of the bed and onto the floor. He shuts the bedroom door behind him, tiptoeing down the hall and glancing into the kitchen.  _ The apron is cute, _ Connor thinks, watching as Hank sets down a pan on the counter. He catches Hank’s gaze, whose eyes light up a little. The sight makes Connor’s heart hurt. 

“Hey, Con. You feeling better?” 

There’s so much love and concern in that sentence. So much affection. Too much.  _ Too much. _ Connor turns quickly on his heel, shutting himself in the bathroom and locking the door. He leans against it, staring into the dark room and looking at the red glow against the walls. He ignores the sound of Hank’s heavy footsteps crossing to the bathroom, shutting his eyes when Hank’s hand finds the doorknob and tries to turn it. “Connor, are you okay? Con,”

When he opens his eyes, Connor still only sees the red in his peripheral vision, reaching over to flick the bathroom light on to drown out the brightness of his LED. “Connor, talk to me.” Connor takes a step forward, listening to the sound his barefoot makes against the tile. “Baby, open the door.” Connor allows himself to collapse face forward against the floor, ignoring the sound of Hank’s fist beating against the door.  _ “Connor! What was that sound, are you okay?” _

Indecisively, Connor runs a quick scan on himself. 

_ Level of stress 80% _

He’s not sure why. Really, there’s nothing to be stressed about. Gavin is a piece of shit, Connor shouldn’t listen to what he said. But, Connor’s brain has been playing Gavin’s words on a loop, repeating things that Connor supposes are things he’s always thought about. Things that have always worried him, deep down.  _ Do I really not feel anything? Am I human enough for Hank? _

“Connor, open the fucking door.”

Human.

There’s that word again.

It’s a stupid word. Connor has never liked that word, unless he’s thinking about Hank. He does a quick search, finding that Merriam-Webster defines “human” as  _ “Of, relating-to, or characteristic of humans.” _ Well, that’s not very helpful.

_ Level of stress 85% _

An alternate definition is  _ “A bipedal primate mammal. A homosapien” _ Connor supposes he  _ is _ a biped, technically. That counts for something, right? He scrunches his face against the tiled floor, trying to see his legs from where he lays. He can’t, so he shifts, rolling over and pulling himself to sit upright, leaned against the bathtub. With the lights on, his LED doesn’t paint the walls like it did before, and Connor lets himself look at his legs.

“Connor!”

He continues to ignore Hank’s pounding fist, continuing to gaze at his limbs. There’s nothing special about them, not really. They’re just legs.  _ But they aren’t real, _ Connor thinks, knocking his knuckles against his kneecaps.  _ Do they even count as legs? They’re made of plastic. _ He looks up at the sink.  _ I don’t count as a human. I’m made of plastic. _

_ Level of stress 89% _

Connor stands on his fake legs, pushing his fake self off of the floor to stare at his fake face in the mirror. Hank’s calls from the hallway have been drowned out, and Connor can’t even hear what he’s saying anymore. Connor’s LED seems brighter in the mirror, making his eyes hurt just a bit. He rubs them, then pulls his hands away, not knowing when he had started crying.  _ Calm down _ . He tells himself, shaking his head.

_ Level of stress 91% _

He doesn’t think he has ever let his stress levels get this high. Honestly, Connor wasn’t even sure he could feel this bad. That’s wrong, too. Connor can’t  _ feel _ anything. He doesn’t feel bad. He’s fine. He’s functional. Right now, he really wishes his LED wouldn’t feel anything either. It’s bright red, not even blinking. Connor hasn’t gotten it to turn back to yellow since Hank calmed him down in the precinct. Slowly, Connor taps it with his finger.

_ Level of stress 93% _

The LED is what gives him away. No matter what he does, Connor can’t help but hate this thing. If he didn’t have one, maybe Gavin wouldn’t care as much. He wouldn’t feel so obligated to give Connor a hard time, because he would forget that Connor is an android. But, Connor has never had a problem with the small circle before. If he remembers correctly, which he’s sure he does, his LED only started to bother him when he was partnered with Gavin. Which actually wasn’t that long ago, and, Connor only has to work with him for half a year, then he can start working on his own.

He just has to put up with Gavin for a little while longer. 

_ Level of stress 95% _

Connor doesn’t have any problem with the LED itself, just with Gavin. It’s been three years since the revolution, and not once has Connor considered removing it before this week. He likes it, truthfully, and the way it looks against his forehead. Hank likes it, or, at least Connor thinks he does. Maybe he doesn’t, Connor wouldn’t know because he doesn’t care about Hank, right? He doesn’t feel anything.

_ Level of stress 97% _

That’s a lie. Connor feels a lot of things. Right now, what he feels is anger. Severe hatred, mostly directed at himself. How dare he doubt what he knows to be true? If Gavin was exaggerating all of the things he said, then why does Connor even care? He wouldn’t care if he was normal. If Connor was a human, he would love Hank with no problem, not caring what other people think as long as Hank loves him too. But, Connor isn’t a human, and therefore… can’t… love?  _ Was Markus wrong? Is this really just some coding error that makes our brains think we can feel?  _

_ I can’t feel anything. _

_ Level of stress 99% _

Connor can’t stand the sound of water hitting the sink, looking down to find that his own tears drip onto the porcelain. He wipes his eyes, then looks back at his reflection. His hair is an unruly mess, sticking up in different directions at the back, falling down onto his forehead at the front. His cheeks are tinged blue again, and the tears do nothing to hide that. Connor lets his eyes dart back to the stupid LED. He hates it. Connor hates it. It doesn’t look good against his forehead. It doesn’t do anything to make him look more human, and it definitely does  _ not _ make Connor feel any better about himself. 

If anything, it makes Connor not like how he looks. He doesn’t look human at all. He looks like a robot, completely made of plastic, molded to look perfect. Perfectly inhuman. Connor tries to focus on anything other than his own inhumanity, looking down at his hands, now shaking with anger. No, not anger. They’re just shaking. Connor can’t be angry because he can’t feel anything. Why does he think things like that? Of course he’s angry. He hates Gavin so much, now, for making him think conflicted and self deprecating things. 

But, mostly, Connor hates himself, for letting someone else’s words get to him. He hates himself for being a bad brother to Niles. He hates himself for being a bad fiance. He hates himself for being himself. For being an android.

_ Level of stress 100% _

Connor’s fist collides with the mirror, sending shards of glass flying all over the bathroom. He can’t look at himself anymore, he just can’t. He watches as thirium drips into the glass filled sink, his whole body trembling now. Without thinking, he plunges his shaking hand into the glass pile, pulling out a thin shard. He grips it tightly, not feeling the jagged edges dig into the plastic of his palm. Connor raises the shard to his temple, dragging it around before finding the LED and jamming the glass underneath it and yanking roughly.

The red circle clatters into the sink, followed quickly by the thirium soaked piece of glass. Connor falls to the floor again, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face against his folded arms.

He doesn’t look up when Hank’s foot finds the doorknob, sending the door flying open and slamming against the bathroom wall.

Connor  _ can’t  _ look up when Hank’s arms snake around Connor’s shoulders. Tears and rage blind Connor’s vision, and he lets himself sob openly into Hank’s chest, trying and failing to focus on Hank’s breathing. 

Connor lets himself hate Hank, too, for being so wonderful all the time. 

“Fuck you.”

“What?”

Connor looks up, wiping at his eyes and not caring about the thirium he accidentally paints across his face. “Fuck you. Why are you so nice?”

Hank blinks down at Connor from where he kneels, his apron also covered in the blue substance. “I love you, Connor.” Connor blinks, and Hank exhales. “You know what, fuck you, too.” Connor opens his mouth, but can’t find words to argue. “You scared the shit of me.” Hank gestures to the sink, then to the open door, hanging off the hinges. “Look what you’ve done in here. This place is a mess.” He gestures again, and Connor sees Sumo sitting in the hallway. “Look what you’ve done to Sumo! He’s a wreck.” Connor sobs again, trying to bury his face in his knees to hide his face. Hank’s hands keep him upright, settling against Connor’s cheeks. “Look what you’ve done to Connor.”

“What?”

Hank laughs, leaning forward. “You’ve ruined my Connor! Look at him, he’s crying! I can’t have that!” Smiling, Hank plants a kiss on Connor’s nose. “You’re too pretty to feel like shit, Con.”

Connor sighs, then runs a scan on himself.

_ Level of stress 89% _

“I’m not pretty. I’m a robot.”

“You say that like being a robot makes you ugly.”

“It does.”

Hank lets go of Connor’s face, shaking his own head. “No, it doesn’t. I think you’re perfect, Connor. You don’t need to worry about how you look. Take my word for it, you’re fucking gorgeous.”

Wiping at his eyes again, Connor leans back against the sink. “But, I’m not human.”

“So? Humans suck anyway.” Hank shrugs. “If anything, I should be the insecure one in this relationship. I look like garbage all the time. You look hot even curled up in a ball on the floor, covered in blue blood, sobbing your guts out.”

“You-” Connor sighs again, chuckling a little. “I think you’re very handsome.”

Hank shifts, moving to sit beside Connor, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and letting Connor lean into him. Sumo tries to enter the bathroom, but Hank holds up a hand. “No. There’s glass. Stay.” Sumo stays, and Hank presses a kiss to the top of Connor’s head. “You took the thing out.”

“Yes,” Connor nods. “I want to look human.” He pauses, then looks up at Hank, who runs his thumb over the spot where the LED was. “I love you.” Connor says, trying to reassure himself more than Hank.

Hank smiles. “I know you do, you dork.” He breathes deeply, and Connor buries his face back into Hank’s chest, feeling the rise and fall for a few silent minutes. Eventually, Hank places his hand on Connor’s back. “Come on, we need to go do something. You need to get out of the house.” He looks over at Sumo. “We can take him to the park or something, then come back and clean up all this fucking glass.”

Connor sits up, laughing a little. “Maybe we can go mirror shopping.”

Hank laughs too, and they leave the bathroom, dressing warmly and heading outside. Connor can feel himself relax.  _ Feel. _ He can feel it. He can feel. For what feels like the first time, people don’t even look at Connor when they’re outside. No one’s eyes find his temple, no one tries to see if he’s an android. When Connor leans against Hank’s shoulder, he lets himself run another scan.

_ Level of stress 25% _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Dec 25, 2041**

**4:32 pm**

Not having an LED makes looking at yourself a lot easier. Connor spends most of December looking at his reflection any chance he gets. In the mirrors at their house, in the rearview of their car, even at his reflection when the screen of his terminal is blank, he’ll sit at his desk and stare at himself for a full minute before Hank kicks him to make him focus on work.

It’s not that Connor hated his appearance before, just that now he thinks he looks… better. He prefers that his temple looks normal. Connor isn’t even sure if that makes sense, he just didn’t like the LED on him. On other androids, it’s completely fine. He sees Niles all the time now, and Niles still has his LED. It looks great on Niles, which Connor doesn’t really understand because they have the same face.

What Connor really likes is Hank’s attention to his face. Now that the precinct knows about their relationship, they don’t have to hide or whisper as much as they used too. Connor always feels a surge of happiness whenever Hank comments on how hot he looks or how perfect he is. It’s… reassuring to know that Connor looks good. Sometimes Connor even feels prideful when thinking about his appearance, and that’s something that he never really felt before.

The only thing that Connor hasn’t liked about this change is that, even though he doesn’t have an LED anymore, there are still places that treat him as an android. Connor likes work less and less everyday, because he has no one to investigate with. The whole android trial period thing really,  _ really  _ sucks. Detective Collins took the rest of the month off to spend Christmas in Florida, and Connor  _ can’t _ work with Hank. But, he still isn’t “experienced” enough to work on his own, so he sits at his desk and does paperwork and organizes things  _ all day _ .

Connor never thought he would miss Gavin Reed, but he’s been insanely bored.

Gavin’s suspension is supposed to last an entire month, and he can’t come back to work until January 10th. Both Hank and Captain Fowler wanted to get rid of Gavin for good, but, Connor stopped being angry after he got rid of his LED. He told them it was fine, and that he would try and work with Detective Reed again. Of course, if, when Gavin gets back, he’s still an asshole, Connor will definitely request that he get assigned to someone else.

Perhaps it’s stupid, but Connor is actually excited for Gavin to return? Not even to stop being bored, but because Connor has preconstructed ten different outcomes for what will happen when he gets back. All of them end in with Gavin  _ at least _ getting punched in the throat, and that makes Connor pretty happy.

Of course, it won’t be Connor punching him, oh no.

It will be Niles.

While Connor is just excited to see some sort of fight, Niles tells Connor almost every day that  _ he _ has preconstructed three hundred different ways to murder Gavin with his bare hands. Connor tries to tell him that murdering someone is wrong, but Niles always laughs, then starts imagining how to kill Gavin using only his teeth.

Those thoughts perturb Connor a little bit, but he never wants to interfere.

Besides being  _ glued to his desk all the time _ , Connor is actually okay with work. Hank and Niles are both there usually, so he at least has people to talk to. Since Niles was assigned to Officer Chen’s patrol, they’ve gotten along pretty well. Tina and Niles go out for drinks pretty regularly, and once they even invited Connor. It was fun, Tina chugged an entire bottle of wine. Connor wonders if things will be different when Gavin gets back, because Connor has formed a nice little group of work friends. He knows that Gavin and Tina were close, but he doesn’t think they are anymore. Tina never speaks of him, other than to apologize to Connor and Niles about him being such a jerk.

Maybe things will stop being fine in January, but, Connor decides not to think about that right now.

“A book? Are you insane?”

“What? Reading is fun.”

“Oh my Ra9, you’re on drugs.”

North chucks the book across the room, laughing when it hits the counter and knocks over a small picture frame. Connor sighs, then stands to go pick it up. When Markus suggested that they all spend Christmas at Connor and Hank’s house this year, Connor was excited! Key word:  _ was _ . He  _ was  _ excited, but he definitely isn’t now that they’re all here.

They’ve just started to exchange gifts, and Josh brought books for everyone. Connor likes books, and thought his was very nice.  _ Red Dragon _ by Thomas Harris. Connor really enjoys The Silence of the Lambs, but never had the time to find and read the first book. Now, thanks to Josh, he can finally read it. 

He picks up the picture frame, a small photo of Sumo and Hank playing fetch, and repositions it on the counter before returning to his spot on the couch. He leans into Hank, sighing when Hank’s arm wraps around his shoulders. Hank drapes the blanket across their legs again, and Connor tries to listen into whatever North and Josh are fighting about this time.

“One hundred ways to stop being a bitch?” North practically growls, picking up a pillow and hurling it at him. 

Josh ducks, letting the pillow hit the television behind him with a soft thud. “Stop throwing things. It’s a lifestyle book. One that  _ you _ can learn something from.”

Markus whistles low, scratching his head. “Maybe that’s not… the best way to approach things, Josh.”

“Ra9, will you all shut up? It’s literally just a book.” Niles clicks his tongue from his spot on the couch beside Connor, careful to keep the blanket off of him. He outstretches his hand, flicking his fingers up for Josh to place the next one of his gifts in it. Niles quickly removes the paper, blinking down at the book slowly. He clears his throat.  _ “Assholes. A theory.” _ His gaze flicks upwards. “An interesting choice.”

Shifting uncomfortably on the floor, Josh’s face turns a shade darker. “Look, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just thought it was funny.” He raises his hands in defense. “Simon helped me pick it out.”

Niles’ gaze flicks to Simon, snuggled into Markus’ side in the large armchair. “What?” He bats his eyelashes innocently. “You are an asshole.”

Nodding, Niles makes a show of dropping the book onto the floor beside him. Connor sighs, trying to fix the room’s overall mood. “Well, I am going to enjoy reading my book, Josh.”

“Good! See?” Josh turns back to North, gesturing to Connor.  _ “Someone _ enjoys my gift.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, of course he does. You gave him something that he actually likes, and isn’t  _ insulting _ .”

Sighing, Josh reaches forward handing the last book to Hank. Hank shifts, and Connor inches a little closer to see what it is. Connor immediately glares at Josh, who blinks quickly when Hank starts  _ cackling _ .  _ “Sex with Androids and How to Do it?” _

North laughs, too, startling Sumo out of his nap and making him whine. She pats his head, still laughing as he leans back into her lap. “Hey, at least it’s educational?”

Connor buries his face into Hank’s chest, unable to stop the smile from forming on his features when he feels Hank’s chest vibrate with each exhale of laughter. “Thank you, Josh,” Hank begins, patting Connor’s shoulder. “But, uh, I’m pretty sure I already know how to do it.”

The room echoes with laughter, everyone except Sumo and Niles enjoying the joke wholeheartedly. Niles takes the book from Hank, dropping it onto the floor in front of him. “Ha ha very funny, Josh. We’ve all interfaced with Connor, we’ve all seen him have sex before.”

“Niles!” Connor sits up, smacking him.  
“But, no one cares.” He grins at Connor, showing _way_ too many teeth. “I require more presents. Who’s next?”

Rolling her eyes, North moves to grab the bag beside her without waking Sumo again. She shoves the bag into Josh’s chest. “Pass these out, Book Boy. I’ve got a doggo to keep happy.” She scratches Sumo’s head again. “Be prepared to get blown away. I am an excellent gift giver.” Josh digs through the bag, producing six small boxes, all with different names on them. He passes them out, ignoring North as she shimmies her shoulders in anticipation. “Okay, everyone open them all at once.”

The groups nods, and Connor opens his box along with the rest of them, not really sure what to expect. He checks the boxes contents, then looks into Hank’s, then Niles’. “Hmm.” Connor looks to North, who smiles proudly back at him from her spot on the floor. “You got everyone… Tickets to something.”

It’s not a question. North nods, gesturing her arms widely. “New Year’s Eve, I have a gig at this kick ass party downtown.” She smiles. “I have given you all the gift of hearing me rock out some hard core jams.”

Niles snorts. “Jams? What do you play?”

“Drums.”

“No shit, really?” Niles leans forward, setting the box on the arm of the couch beside him. “You know, I play bass.”

North’s eyebrows tilt upwards. “Damn. You any good?”

“I’d like to think so. Connor says I’m garbage.”

Connor smiles, nudging his brother. “I think that everything you do is garbage, Bubby.”

Ignoring him, Niles continues. “I have a whole spot rigged in my apartment. We should jam sometime.”

North nods. “That sounds dope. Let’s do that.” She looks to Connor, still smiling. “Should I invite Ralph?”

“Who’s Ralph?” Niles tilts his head.

Connor shrugs. “If he’d like to go.” He turns to Niles. “Ralph is a friend of Kara’s. He attends our therapy sessions. He keeps saying he would like to learn an instrument.”

Niles thinks while Connor stands to retrieve his gifts from the kitchen. “Yeah, that’d be fine. I can teach probably.”

“While Connor is getting those,” Markus begins, standing from the chair and placing his hand on Simon’s shoulder. “I’m going to go ahead and tell you all that Si and I didn’t get you guys anything.”

The group groans collectively, knowing full well that Markus always pulls something like this. Spews some nonsense about equality or whatever. He doesn’t even get people gifts on their birthdays. Simon stands quickly, stepping around the coffee table to get to Hank and Niles. “Except for you two, we got you something don’t worry.”

Connor can’t see what it is from his spot behind the counter, but Hank smiles and thanks them kindly. Niles mumbles some sort of thank you, making sure to drop it on the floor as well. Markus sighs, trying to get the attention back on him. “What I have brought for you three,” He gestures to North, Josh and Connor in turn. “Is a suggestion.” North smacks his leg, ready to say something snarky, but Markus continues. “As you all know, Simon and I have figured out how to get tattoos to work,”

He nods to Connor, “Thank you for being our guinea pig, we both adore you.”

Connor folds his arms, nodding uncomfortably. 

“My suggestion,” Markus continues. “Is for all of us to get a matching one. We brought the paint and the varnish and the computer. We can do it today.”

Josh raises an eyebrow. “Matching tattoos?” He looks between the group, shrugging his shoulders openly. “What for?”

“For Jericho. The first one.” Markus grins. “We were all on that ship when it blew up, and we all jumped together.” He puts his arm around Simon. “That days is important to me. Yes, I’m an android and I will literally  _ never _ forget what happened, but I would like a physical reminder. Something small on our wrists. An anchor or something.”

“Markus, that’s very sweet. I would like that.” Connor smiles, finally crossing back to the couch, arms filled with plants. 

North and Josh agree, quickly planning what the tattoo should say and what color it should be. Briefly, North pauses. “Is that all? What did you give each other?” 

“Well, I planned a trip for us. A small, short visit to Paris. No politics, no worries. Just us.” Simon steps towards her, holding out his wrist. “Markus got me a bracelet, isn’t that gay?”

North squeals, yanking Simon’s arm to get a better look at the engraving. Connor dumps the plants into Hank’s lap, then moves to see the bracelet as well.  _ My one and only. _ Markus folds his arms. “It’s not gay, Si. It’s romantic.” 

“I know! But still,” Simon clears his throat, trying to achieve the most accurate impression of Markus he can. “You’re my one and only, Si. I love you  _ so _ much.” He purrs, adjusting the thing on his wrist before reaching up to boop Markus’ nose. “Gay.”

“So gay.” Connor agrees.

“The gayest.” North laughs, nudging Josh.

Josh refuses to play along. “I need someone to take  _ me _ to Paris.”

They laugh, and Markus rolls his eyes, then gestures to Connor. “Alright, then. What have you got?”

Grinning, Connor bounces over to Hank, who has accepted the pile of flora currently burying him on the couch. “We got you all plants! Little friends for you to hold at night when you get cold!”

“We?” Markus raises an eyebrow.

“Yes. We. Hank helped me pick them out.”

Hank shrugs. “He likes plants. Humor him.”

Connor starts to pass them out, and North takes her small cactus. “I mean, I’ll try. But you should know that I can’t snuggle a cactus.”

“Not with that attitude you can’t!” Connor quips, handing a succulent to Niles.

“How many fucking plants are you going to give me, Connie?” Niles rolls his eyes, carefully setting the pot on the floor, to Connor’s pleasant surprise. He was sure that Niles would just throw it. “I have way too many. Please take some back.”

Shaking his head, Connor hands some flowers to Simon and another cactus to Josh. “They’re your children now. Take care of them.” He pauses, then hands Markus his succulent. “I sent some to Kara, Luther and Alice, too. I really hope they hold up in the mail.” Smiling, he returns to his spot on the couch, adjusting the blanket over his knees. “Is that everything? I know you didn’t get anyone anything, Niles.”

Niles nods. “That is correct. You all are fortunate enough to know me. You don’t need a present as well.”

“Then,” Connor continues, ignoring Niles and turning back to Markus, who falls back into the chair beside Simon. “Should we do tattoos before or after we turn the movie on?”

North shakes her head. “No, Connor, you and Hank haven’t exchanged anything.”

Connor smiles softly, looking up at Hank. “Oh, I’ve given him everything.”

“Everything?” Josh asks.

“Yes,” Connor nods. “I gave Hank something different every day of December. Just small things like plants or snacks he likes or old Knights of the Black Death albums. I spent, like, a month trying to knit him the coziest sweater I could for the twenty-fifth day, and…” He pokes Hank’s chest. “He’s already wearing it.”

“That’s sweet.” Simon smiles, turning to Hank. “What did you get Connor?”

Hank moves to speak, but Connor talks over him, hand still resting on Hank’s chest. “I asked him not to get me anything. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, uh,” Hank scratches his beard. “I did anyway.” He shifts, reaching somewhere underneath the blanket. “It’s no trip to  _ Paris _ or anything like that, but… It’s something.”

He produces a small black box, with a postcard taped to the top. Connor wrinkles his nose, lowering his voice. “I told you, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Look at the postcard, Con.”

He does, removing it from the box and looking at the scenery on the small card. It’s a beach at sunset, footprints in the sand by a fire pit. Connor must make a face, because Hank clears his throat. “Flip it over.”

The back, has a date and location written on it. Connor reads it aloud. “July 9th, 2042. Monterey, California.” He squints, looking up at Hank. “A… postcard for our anniversary… next year?”

“Yeah, uh.” Hank scratches his beard again. “I figured our uh… Actual anniversary could be our wedding one, too.” He gestures to the box. “You said a while ago that you wanted to get married on a beach somewhere, so I picked a venue. Made a deposit.” He smiles, reaching up to run his thumb over Connor’s temple. “You proposed, so I figured I would do the next romantic thing? Maybe it’s dumb.”

“It’s not dumb!” Connor smiles, blinking furiously. “We’re getting married… In  _ California _ . On a beach. That looks like this!” He shoves the postcard into Hank’s face. “This is beautiful, My Love. I- I don’t know what to-”

“There’s still the box, Con.” Connor lowers the postcard, then looks around at the room, sort of uncomfortable with his closest friends staring at him so intensely. He fidgets with the box while Hank talks. “I don’t know, I don’t really think I’d like a huge wedding, but I know that you would.”

“I would.” Connor nods.

“Yeah, so.” Hank gestures awkwardly. “So let’s have a huge fancy wedding. Go all out.” Hank looks between Connor and the box, raising his eyebrows every so often. Connor nods again, turning his attention to the box and opening it slowly. “Uh, I don’t know if it’ll fit? I brought Niles with me when I got ‘em, cause I figured you both have the same hands.”

Sniffing, Connor can feel the tears well up in his eyes. “What is it?” North asks, leaning forward. The others do the same, all curious except for Niles, who just stares at Connor with the same deadpan expression he usually wears. 

Connor reaches into the box, pulling the contents out and holding out his palm to show the room. He can’t stop the sob that comes from him when he says, “They’re wedding bands.”

Simon and North both jump from their spots, practically flying to see the small rings. North snatches them from Connor’s palm, and they observe them in the light, holding them out for Markus and Josh to see. Connor falls into Hank, pressing a hard kiss to his lips. “I love them. I love  _ you _ .”

Hank smiles, exhaling slowly. “I’m glad. I love you too, Baby.” 

Connor kisses him again, not caring when Niles pretends to gag beside them. Hank reaches up to wipe tears from Connor’s cheeks. “Can…” Connor accepts the rings when North hands them back, not hearing when she starts talking about how much gay is in the room. “Can I wear it before we get married? I don’t want them to just… sit in a box.” 

“Sure,” Hank shrugs. “I figured you would. I mean, shit, we’re practically married already, Con. Just, not in the legal sense.” 

Still grinning, Connor jams the ring onto his finger, then helps Hank put on his. “I can’t wait to be. For real, that is.”

Hank kisses him again, and North throws another pillow, hitting Connor in the side of the head. “Hey that’s sweet and all, but are we going to watch this movie or what?”

Niles takes Connor’s hand to admire the ring when Connor settles back under Hank’s shoulder. “Hmm.” He releases Connor’s hand, then turns to Hank. “What movie are we watching again?”

Laughing, Hank shakes his head. “Holiday in Handcuffs. It’s some dumb ass bullshit with Mario Lopez. If I had to watch this fucking movie with my own two eyes, then so do all of you. Someone hand me the remote.”

Hank is right, the movie is pretty bad. But, Connor can’t focus on that, or on his new tattoo. The only thing on his mind for the rest of the night is the ring on his left hand, and the man who gave it to him.


	8. This Charming Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin tries to fix things

**Jan 6, 2042**

**7:45 pm**

Bitter cold nips at Gavin’s neck, red tinting his nose and the tips of his ears. He struggles with the navy scarf wrapped around his neck, still not understanding the point of these stupid things. He guesses that maybe it’s to help with the cold, but he just thinks that the scarf is an inconvenience. 

But, he’s wearing it. Not even to battle the cold. Gavin would rather get hypothermia and just die than be caught wearing something stupid. He prefers baggy jeans, dark t-shirts and leather jackets. When it snows, he’ll replace the t-shirt with a  _ sweater _ , but that’s it. Anything else feels dumb and forced. Stupid, even. But, still, he’s wearing a scarf.

Because Tina gifted it to him.

Honestly, with the month they spent not speaking to each other, he thought that he just didn’t have a best friend anymore. After about a week of her ignoring him, Gavin gave up trying to call her. Tina has always been stubborn, and Gavin knew that it was best for everyone if he stopped pushing her. He even stopped talking to Chris, who stayed pretty neutral in this apparent fight they were having.

A fight that Gavin didn’t know they were having, at first.

Of all the people Gavin thought would stay mad at him, he didn’t think it would be Tina. Connor? Sure. Hank? Abso-fucking-lutely. But Tina? No. Not Teen. She wouldn’t just ignore Gavin, she would never do that.

And, yet, she did. And, after awhile, Gavin just gave up.

He spent the month talking to Chris on and off, not wanting to bother him during the holidays. Chris and his wife may not like exchanging gifts, but they ball out for their son. Christmas is a  _ huge _ deal, and Gavin didn’t want to intrude.

Spending Christmas by yourself is… weird. Gavin usually at least visits his parents. Last year, he stayed over at Tina’s place and got wasted. Without her, there wasn’t really any reason for Gavin to celebrate. December 25th, he laid on the floor of his bedroom with a glass of eggnog, Bean asleep on his chest, and stared at the ceiling. Thinking back on that moment, Gavin  _ kind of _ misses Bean and her warmth, knowing that she’s back at his apartment, warm and cozy and…

_ Focus, _ Gavin tells himself.  _ There’s shit you have to do. _

Reluctantly, Gavin presses his hand to the panel in front of him, hearing the buzz and waiting for a response. The screen flashes, and Gavin waits for it to change to the live video feed. Before last month, he could press his hand down and the door would open.  _ Guess she deleted my fingerprints from the access list. _

Tina’s face appears on the screen, and Gavin’s stomach rolls over a few times.

She looks  _ awesome _ , which sucks. Gavin knows that he definitely looks like someone who spent the holidays crying and holding a cat, because that’s exactly what he did. Tina’s in a green sweater, her dark hair loosely framed around her face, curled slightly and intentionally effortless. Her makeup looks  _ amazing _ , her eyeliner winged and sharp and stunning on her pointed eyes.

“Hello, Gavin.”

“Hey,” He shuffles his feet, looking at the screen and then down at the snow. He’s not sure what to say yet. He planned a half-apology-half- “why have you been ignoring me you bitch” speech, but he wants to do it face to face. Not like this.

Tina clears her throat. “You got the scarf.”

Gavin brightens at that, shifting to hold up the brightly colored bag in his hand. Tissue paper threatens to fall out of it. “Yes, and I brought your present.” He shrugs, still shifting awkwardly. “I-uh… Didn’t know how to mail bags like this.”

After blinking for a few seconds, Tina moves to get something Gavin can’t see, then the screen turns black. He sighs, fully prepared to just leave before the buzz sounds again, and the door unlocks. After taking a second to process what happened, Gavin enters the small building and hauls ass up the stairs to Tina’s apartment.

He passes a few people in the hallway. Her door is at the end, and Gavin has to maneuver through someone trying to position a bike against the wall and a pizza delivery guy, then a young couple kissing ferociously across from Tina’s door. He shuffles a few times, then sighs. “Excuse me,” He mumbles, gaining their attention. The dude scoffs, then places his hand against a screen on the wall, opening the door to his apartment and pulling the girl behind him, not bothering to close the door before shoving his tongue back in her mouth. “Lovely,” Gavin says out loud, not understanding straight people at all.

Turning away from the heterosexual grinding, he knocks quietly on Tina’s door, waiting for the screen beside it to light up and say  _ open _ . It does, and the door swings, revealing Tina. What Gavin thought was a sweater turns out to be a long sleeved dress with a turtleneck collar, hanging loosely over warm looking tights and knee high boots.

Tina gags at the sight behind Gavin. “Close the door, you morons,” She groans, then steps back to let Gavin into the apartment and shut the door behind him. He must look like he wants to say something about her outfit, because Tina waves him off. “I have a date in like an hour. You just showed up unannounced, don’t give me crap.”

“I wasn’t!” Gavin folds his arms. “I just.. You look nice.”

“Thank you. You look warm.” 

“I am.” He gestures at the scarf. “Very warm.”

“Here, um, let me,” Tina reaches out, unwrapping Gavin’s scarf and removing it from his shoulders, then taking a few steps back. She turns, walking over to her kitchen to set the scarf on the counter. “You want a drink?” She calls over her shoulder, and Gavin feels… confused at the normalcy of that request. Like a month hasn’t passed. Like he’s just coming to chill and get drunk. 

“Uh, yeah, sure.” He follows behind her, hooking his leg underneath a chair at the dining table and pulling it out. Slowly, he falls into it, setting the bag on the table in front of him. Tina fumbles around in the fridge, and Gavin stares at the floor. He tries to… bring up the past month in the most not-harsh way he can. “How have you been?”

Tina pokes her head out from the refrigerator, then returns to it. Gavin can hear bottles clinking. “I’ve been well.” She stands, settling on a half empty bottle of wine and setting it on the counter. She moves to balance on her toes to reach a cabinet, pulling two glasses out. She fills them with the wine before asking, “Oh, how are you?”

Gavin shrugs. “I’m okay.”

She sits across from him at the table, setting the wine flute in front of him and cradling her own with two hands. Smiling, she takes a small, daring sip. “What did you get me?”

Her eyes find the bag, and Gavin slides it across the table before tapping his finger against his glass. He stares at the table. “I, uh, you looked at it while we were at the mall before Thanksgiving.”

Tina gasps a little when she opens the bag, dropping the tissue paper out onto the table and pulling the long black dress free. She gapes, running her hands over the fabric. “Gavin, you-” She looks up, her brow furrowed. “You didn’t have to get me this, I just thought it was pretty.”

He shrugs, again. “I bought it during Black Friday, chill. It’s nothing.”

She smiles, and Gavin relaxes a little bit. “Thank you.” Standing, she sets the bag on the table and holds the dress carefully. “I’m going to, uh, hang it up. Hang on.” Gavin watches her leave, and stares into the darkness of her bedroom after her. He sighs, running a hand through his growing beard, knowing that he definitely needs to shave. It’s gotten pretty long, and his neck is starting to itch. “Okay,” Tina returns, sliding down into the wooden chair and trying to gather the tissue paper to stuff it back into the bag. She looks at Gavin pointedly, then exhales slowly. “I know you have things to say to me, but I think I want to go first.”

Gavin nods. “I figured you would.”

He gestures, laying both of his hands out on the table. She inhales, then exhales again, trying to find words. “I… I’m sorry.” 

“What?” Gavin’s head jerks backwards in surprise, not expecting  _ that _ to be how this shit started.

“I’m sorry,” Tina repeats, shaking her head. “For ignoring you. It took me a while to realize that you were hurting, too, and by then it was too late to call you. I felt too bad for just bailing on you. I…” She pauses, then, “I think I need to hear you say okay.”

Blinking, Gavin complies. “Okay. It’s alright, don’t… don’t worry about it. I deserved to be ignored.”

“Not from me.” She sighs. “I was angry, yeah, but I shouldn’t have been mad for that long. A week maybe, but, it just got out of hand.” Tina tugs on her sleeves, pulling them down over her palms before placing both hands on her wine glass again. She takes a swig before continuing. “I guess that seeing you act like that awakened something in me? I don’t know if that makes sense, but, watching you get that angry made me think about all of the shit you’ve done to make me mad. Ever. Like, even before we were friends. 

“Some part of me has always been angry with you, I think. For not liking androids. Before the revolution or whatever, I guess it was fine. But, after… After I started to realize how racist you were and it just… I don’t know, Gavin, it just sucked. I tried to ignore it, because I loved you, and that was just like, one flaw. I could get past it, right? But…”

She trails off, looking to Gavin for help. He sighs. “Watching me strangle Connor made you realize that I’m the worst?” Tina nods, and Gavin tries to find another way to approach this. “I… I’ve been trying, Teen. I, uh, I spent most of last month doing, like, research? I don’t know. Like, looking at stuff about androids and trying to figure them out. I… I want to get better.”

“I know you do!” Tina smiles, nodding her head encouragingly. “I know. It just… it sucked, that’s all. But, I shouldn’t have ignored you. I should have told you how I felt. It was shitty of me to just… send you a scarf and not even speak to you. Even now, you showed up here. I didn’t go to try and talk to you. I’ve been a bad friend, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Gavin is dumbfounded. God, he doesn’t deserve anyone like Tina.  _ I mean really… She’s amazing _ . He sighs, not knowing what to say besides, “You’re amazing, Teen.”

“What?” She tilts her head.

“You’re amazing. You aren’t a bad friend, I would’ve ghosted, too, if you did something like the shit I did.” He takes a sip of wine, smiling a little. Tina picked the kind she knew he likes. “I… I’m really sorry for being so shitty. I have to talk to Connor, see if we can… start over? I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I don’t even care about him going through my phone anymore, I just… I want this to be over with.

“And, God, I guess I have to talk to Fowler, see if I can keep my fucking job.” Gavin runs a hand down his face, trying not to make this too much about himself. “But, I mean, even if I get canned, I just… I wanted to make sure that I at least had you.” Tina moves to speak, but Gavin keeps going. “You are the most important person to me. You’re my best friend, and this month  _ fucking sucked _ , but not even because of my inevitable termination, but because… I love you, Teen, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Tina snorts, rolling her eyes a little. “That’s gay.”

Gavin laughs, too, relaxing a little. “I assure you, it’s not gay.” He smiles. “You’re my fucking sister and I need you and I’m sorry that I’m literal garbage but I swear I’m trying to be better. Better at being your friend, better at being a decent person. I’m sorry I’m shit.”

She sighs, and for a second, Gavin thinks she’s laughing again, before, she stands, wiping at her eyes.  _ Fuck, _ Gavin thinks, not knowing if he made her cry or not. Clumsily, Tina rounds the table to throw her arms around Gavin’s neck, shocking him completely. “You’re not shit.” She whispers, making Gavin’s vision blurry. Ugh, Gavin hates crying, but he’s missed Tina so much. “You’re my brother, so you at least have to be somewhat good, or I would completely disown you.”

“I know you would. Honestly,” Gavin sniffs. “I thought you did.”

“Well… I tried to. But, God, Gavin I need you, too.”

She releases his neck and steps back, staring down at Gavin for a second before turning to sit back in her own chair. Without thinking, Gavin stands, too, closing the distance between them and placing his hands on her shoulders. He spins her around, then pulls her in for an actual hug, holding her tightly and not wanting to let go.

Fuck, when was the last time Gavin  _ hugged _ someone? Sure, he spent the last month mostly alone, but even before that, he and Tina didn’t even high-five. This feels right, and, for just a second, Gavin forgets about the shit storm he’s in at work, and about all the chaos he’s caused. He feels the best that he has in a while, just because he’s missed Tina so much. She cries quietly into his shoulder, and when they finally let go of each other after a few solid minutes of embracing, her mascara has run onto her cheeks ever so slightly.

Gavin reaches up to wipe the streak of black off of her cheek carefully, making sure that her wings still look good. Tina smiles in thanks, then grabs his shirt. He grabs the wine glasses as she pulls him to the couch, careful not to drop them as she basically throws him onto the leather. Tina laughs, then settles next to Gavin, pulling her boots off and draping her legs over his own. She takes a wine glass, and begins to tell Gavin about everything that he’s missed at work.

Patrol’s been good, and Chris has started a new sort of task force that Gavin really doesn’t understand. Tina focuses mostly on drama than actual police work, trying to convey just how stupid the New Year’s party was, since Gavin missed it. Apparently, Ben tripped and landed face first into the cake. Tina cackles through most of the stories, trying to explain jokes, obviously a little disappointed with how she tells them and constantly reassuring that they were funnier when someone else told them.

It’s comforting, and it feels so normal. The two of them getting a little tipsy, swapping drama and giggling like kids. Of course, Tina has more gossip than Gavin does. He didn’t really do much other than eat, sleep, and hang out with his cat.

Tina pauses when Gavin asks about her new partner, as if she forgot her partner existed at all.  “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

She blinks, then downs the rest of her wine. “Okay, um…” Sighing, she bites her lower lip, looking for words. Gavin wonders what the problem is before, “You remember Niles?”

_ How could I forget? _

The question is so… innocent. Like, Tina has absolutely no idea how many nights Gavin spent on the floor of his room, just trying to make himself call Niles. How much time he spent hyping himself up in the mirror, planning apologies before deciding against them. How often he layed in his bed, his eyes screwed shut,  _ trying _ to remember Niles’ voice and the width of his shoulders just so he would have…  _ something _ to make him feel a little better.

Those nights weren’t fun, and usually ended with cold showers.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Gavin is pretty sure that Tina doesn’t know what happened between them.  _ Maybe she thinks we’re dating? I mean, she did tease me a lot before… _ Gavin pauses, watching her closely.  _ But she said remember… Does she know we don’t talk anymore? _

Tina basically reads his mind, answering all of the questions blaring through Gavin’s skull. “He uh… He told me what you said to him,” She offers, looking sheepish.

She doesn’t say anything else, and Gavin clears his throat. “You, uh, you talk to Niles?” That’s not something Gavin was expecting. He was totally preparing to say something along the lines of,  _ I know you just forgave me for being a dick, but let me tell you about how racist I was to this guy who genuinely liked me. _

But, apparently, she already knows. Huh.

Slowly, Tina nods. “Gavin, uh,” She sighs, again. “You know how he said he… had a brother?”

Gavin hesitates. “Yes?”

She exhales, then takes Gavin’s wine glass and drinks from it deeply. He frowns when she finally looks back up. “It’s Connor.”

“What about Connor?”

“Connor is Niles’ brother.”

_ What _ .

_ The fuck? _

Gavin blinks, not really sure what to make of that. Honestly, he’s not sure how he missed it. They have the  _ same fucking face _ , obviously they’re brothers. Damn, Gavin is a really shitty detective. He can’t even figure out why he didn’t connect those dots. He remembers Niles mentioning his brother’s fiance once and how they were a human and his brother was excited to get married and…

_ Wait _ .

Didn’t… Didn’t Niles also say that he moved to Detroit to work closer to his brother?

Tina reads Gavin’s mind again. “Niles is my partner. He took O’ Reilly’s position. Sits at his old desk, too.”

Unsurprisingly, Gavin is filled with the need to vomit. And scream. And take another cold shower.

So, not only does Gavin have to go back to work in a few days with people who hate him and think he’s an android killing homophobe. 

_ He has to go back to a desk that Niles sits directly across from.  _

_ Fuck. _

“Does he hate me?”

Tina scrunches her nose, then downs some more wine. “Connor doesn’t. He’s mostly bored because he has to do paperwork all the time. Anderson might, but I don’t know. Hank’s kind of a quiet guy.”

“No, Teen.” Gavin sighs. “I mean. Does  _ Niles _ hate me?”

She bites her lip again. “Well, he’s never said that he hates you, no.”

Gavin sighs in relief, though he isn’t sure why. “Good,”

“But,”  _ Ugh. Spoke to soon. _ “He has said that he… is upset that you turned him down. And that he does not like what you did to Connor.” She stops, and Gavin has to basically pry the rest out of her, he knows there’s more.

“Tina, come on.”

She exhales. “Okay. Everyday when you come up in conversation he tells me about all of the ways he’s preconstructed murdering you.” Gavin’s head drops to his hands, and Tina shifts awkwardly beside him. “Apparently, he succeeds at, uh, at least at punching you in the throat in every preconstruction.”

Gavin sits up, opening his mouth to speak before a buzz sounds throughout the room. Tina startles, then pulls out her phone. “Oh, fuck.” She looks to the door. “My uh, my date-”

“Go!” Gavin tries to sound supportive, pulling her from the couch. “Go, have fun. I’ll text you, we can hang out tomorrow, even.”

Tina smiles, then throws her arms around Gavin in another tight hug. “We’ll talk more later, I just-” The buzz sounds again. “I have to go, agh.” She runs over to the panel by the front door, answering it as hastily as she can. “Hey!”

The voice that responds sounds nice, very high pitched. Gavin thinks he recognizes Gabriella’s voice? He can’t remember. He was drunk and it’s been awhile. They have a brief exchange before Tina turns the screen back off, then moves to the kitchen to grab a scarf, then back to the couch. Quickly, she pulls on her boots, then smiles again. “I, uh,”

“Go,” Gavin says again, pushing her a little. He reaches up to wipe some more mascara from under her waterline. “You look great, have fun.” 

“Thank you,” She adjusts her dress, then runs out of the apartment. Gavin waits before he follows, not wanting to intrude on her date. He cleans up the wine glasses, putting them in the sink and putting the mostly empty bottle back in the fridge. He turns the lights off before he leaves, then moves to the counter to grab his own scarf. 

Gavin cries again when he realizes that Tina wore  _ his _ scarf to meet the girl downstairs.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Jan 10, 2042**

**7:55 am**

Gavin looks up at the entrance to the Detroit City Police Department. It’s weird, being back, if he’s honest. It’s been so long, he can’t even remember what the coffee tastes like. Luckily, spending the last four days of his suspension with Tina helped pass the time. Before, the days stretched on for what felt like forever, and he didn’t get any respite from the brutality that month of not working threw at him.

He adjusts the helmet underneath his arm, and the scarf underneath his leather jacket when he unzips it. Running a hand along his jaw, feeling the roughness already starting to return, even though he just shaved this morning. Briefly, he wonders why hair grows back so quickly, but dismisses that thought as he inhales, then steps through the door.

The lobby is the same as it was when he left last month. The receptionists speak with what people they can, the other civilians leaning on walls or huddled around the television in the corner. He pushes through a group of people to get up to the desk. A few people give him a dirty look, and he rubs the back of his neck. “Uh, hey, I-”

“Welcome back, Detective.” The receptionist smiles, and Gavin wonders why he doesn’t know her name. She’s nice. “Captain Fowler has your badge.” 

Oh. Well, that’s… That’s a better welcome than Gavin was expecting. 

Reluctantly, he thanks her, then turns to slip past more people and step through the glass gates. He inhales deeply, appreciating the smell of such a high-tech building. It smells like coffee and old paper, though Gavin knows that almost no one uses paper here anymore. He smiles crookedly at one of the officers leaned on the wall, then crosses to his desk clump.

Both chairs are empty,  _ thank God, _ and Gavin sets his helmet on his desk, really enjoying the thought of being back. He looks to Chris, whose face is glued to his terminal. “Uh, hey.”

Chris turns, then smiles, standing quickly to slap Gavin on the back. “Hey, man! Welcome back!” He gestures, then sits back down. “I have a shit ton of reports to do this morning, but uh, I think Tina put something there for you.”

Blinking, Gavin looks down at his desk, now noticing the small card propped up in front of his terminal, next to a canned energy drink. He smiles, then lifts the card.  _ Welcome Back, Dumbass. _ Gavin can feel his face heat up as he looks up to gaze at Tina’s desk. It’s empty too, and he wonders where she is for a second before rounding the table to peer at his nameplate.

Mostly to remind himself why he’s here, but also because part of him still doesn’t want to believe that  _ Niles _ is here.

Bile creeps up Gavin’s throat as he reads them.

_ Det. Reed. _

_ Po. RK900. _

Gavin sighs, figuring that he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. He’s… just going to have to put up with Niles, he guesses. Really, Gavin still isn’t sure how this is going to work. Not only does Niles apparently want to murder him, but Gavin doesn’t know how he’ll act sitting across from Niles. Working directly next to a guy that haunts his sex-fueled nightmares every night will be  _ incredibly  _ weird.

He checks his phone for the time, then removes his scarf to drape it over the back of his chair. He contemplates for a second, then removes his jacket, too. Gavin at least… tried to look nicer for his first day back. He’s wearing a dark button down, tucked into slacks, rather than his usual jeans. It’s weird, sure, but at least he’s not wearing a tie like some nerd. He just wanted to seem more professional. 

Captain Fowler’s office seems incriminating today. Gavin is dreading this meeting. All of his stuff is still on his desk, which is a huge relief. If Gavin gets fired, he’ll actually be surprised. If Fowler had planned on getting rid of him, he would have at least removed the nameplate. And, no one would have been this nice to him.

Sighing, Gavin braces himself, then makes the trek over to the glass wall.

Fowler sits inside, typing something at his terminal. He seems focused, and Gavin sort of doesn’t want to bother him. But, he knows that he has to, so, he sucks it up, and knocks on the glass. Fowler looks up, then crosses quickly to the door to open it. “Good Morning, Detective,” Fowler says open opening the door.

Nerves immediately flood Gavin’s core, threatening to make him throw up. “Good Morning, Captain.”

Fowler nods, then props the door open, turning around to return to his desk. “If you could grab Detective Connor for this, that would be great.”

Gavin turns too, the other way to gaze out into the precinct. “Uh,” Connor isn’t at his desk. “Sure.” He knows he sounds hesitant, but he descends the steps anyway, walking over to Connor’s desk clump to tap Hank on the shoulder. Hank startles, turning around and pulling off his headphones. “Hello, Lieutenant.” Gavin tries to be civil, immediately feeling bad for startling him.

Hank exhales slowly. “Fuck,” He groans, running a hand through his short beard. It takes Gavin a second to realize that he looks… different from before. His beard is cleanly cut, trimmed down to look more put together. His hair has been cut, too, and Gavin realizes that he’s never seen Hank with short hair before. Maybe in pictures, but that’s it. He looks good. Clean, even.

“Um,” Gavin wishes he would stop  _ fucking _ stuttering. “H-how are you?”

“I’m fine.” Hank raises an eyebrow. “What do you want,  _ Reed?” _

_ Shit.  _ He says  _ Reed _ and not  _ Detective _ , and Gavin’s fear of getting fired creeps back into his head. “I, uh. I’m looking for Connor?” He offers, shrugging.

Shaking his head, Hank pulls his headphones back on. Gavin can hear the metal blasting from them. “I don’t know where he is. Go away.” Okay, so. Hank hates him. Gavin wants to apologize to Hank quickly for everything that he did last month, but decides that Hank probably doesn’t want to be bothered. He turns, not knowing if Connor is even in the precinct before his gaze lands on the break room.

Tina leans against the coffee machine, holding a lively conversation with two figures. One has his back turned to the doorway, and the other faces him enough so Gavin can make out his features.  _ Well, at least he’s here. _ Gavin slowly makes his way to the break room, not even sure what to say to Connor. Tina smiles when Gavin enters, nodding before her smile fades, and her features lace with panic. Gavin furrows his brow, then sees that Connor’s expression has fallen as well.

Gavin’s blood runs hot when he realizes that the other figure is Niles. 

His mouth falls open when Niles turns, fear sending painful spikes down his spine. Niles looks a bit different then he does in Gavin’s head, more stoic and less… sexy. He’s wearing a police uniform which,  _ fuck _ , which looks good on him. His ears are gauged, something he doesn’t remember seeing before, small black plugs snug in his earlobes. Gavin tries to look at the badge on his chest, desperate to not make eye contact. He fails miserably, and ends up looking past dark eyeliner into two pools of ice, glaring into Gavin’s very soul. Gavin tries to look at his mouth, not thinking about the urge to  _ kiss him _ as Niles’ lips part like he’s about to say something.

“Hey Gav!”

_ Thank God for Tina. _

She steps forward, an uncomfortable grin on her face. “Good to see you!” She puts a hand on Niles’ shoulder, and he steps back, turning to face Connor again. Gavin watches as his LED changes to yellow, blinking as he nods at Connor in a weird way. It occurs to Gavin that androids can talk to other androids without actually talking. Can’t they? Connor nods, too, his eyelids blinking rapidly, and Gavin searches for his LED, but… it’s not there.

Connor’s LED is gone.

Gavin can’t help but feel responsible for that.

“Did you see the Red Bull?” Tina’s voice brings him back in, and Gavin nods. “I know you don’t usually drink that, but I figured you might need something other than coffee today.”

“Uh, yeah, uh,” Gavin shakes his head, trying to refocus on what he came in here for in the first place. “Uh, Connor?”

Connor looks up, eyebrows arched, mouth pressed into a thin line. Niles doesn’t turn, his LED still yellow and blinking. “Hello, Detective.”

Gavin shifts. “Captain Fowler, uh, He asked me to-” 

“Right, yes.” Connor nods, still unsmiling,  then hands the tablet in his hand to Niles. He pats the other android’s shoulder, then slinks out of the room, straightening his tie. Tina squeezes Gavin’s arm reassuringly, giving him a small boost of confidence before he follows behind Connor, ascending the steps to Fowler’s office and shutting the door.

“Have a seat, Gentlemen.” Fowler gestures, then reaches under his desk. Gavin recognizes the sound that comes from the button he presses, sinking into a chair and watching as the glass darkens, encasing them into the room. No one in the precinct can see them now, and Gavin can’t see them. Fowler rarely uses the privacy function. This is going to suck.

“Okay,” Fowler begins, adjusting the large stack of files on his desk.  _ Actual, paper files. _ Which is strange, to Gavin, before he realizes that all of those papers must have something to do with what happened last month. He wants to be sick. “First, Gavin, welcome back.”

He pauses, the gestures to Connor. “Now that you’re back we can finally discuss what to do with this situation, and how to proceed from here.” Fowler opens the first file, flipping through some of the pages. “After extensive deliberation, and because of the nature of this situation, Gavin, I’m not going to fire you, so there’s no need to do anything stupid or get the union involved or any dumb shit like that.” Gavin releases a breath that he’s been holding for a while, his churning stomach starting to calm down. “With what happened on… the eighth, you were both at fault. It’s been put in both of your disciplinary folders, and you’ve both been given a strike, so try not to step out of line again.”

Gavin nods, looking over at Connor, who stares at Fowler attentively. Gavin thinks he might know all of this already. Fowler seems to just be recapping for Gavin’s sake. Connor seems unphased, his hands folded in his lap. “Now,” Fowler continues, not looking up from the file. “You’ve both been removed from homicide from  the time being. I’m assigning you a squad car, and for the next two weeks you’re on patrol in the Ravendale district.” He closes the file. “Most of your cases have been transferred to Detective Collins and Lieutenant Anderson, and the ones they couldn’t take have been sent to other precincts.”

That stings a little, but Gavin guesses it makes sense. He nods again. “I’m not sure when or  _ if _ you can return to detective work, but for now, I’m saying two weeks. Because Hank is in charge of homicide, we have to have a rep from HR coming out here to speak with him before that decision can be made.” Fowler glances up at Connor. “To avoid bias.” Connor nods ever so slightly, blinking rapidly as he processes this. “Speaking of HR,” Fowler sorts through the files, and pulls out one that has more paper in it than the others. He leans forward, handing it to Connor. “We could have put this off, but since the rep is coming here next week, I need these filed immediately.”

Connor opens the folder, still blinking. “This is…”

“Most of it is information on the Consensual Romance in the Workplace Agreement. Our policies on public displays of affection and professionalism. Read through it, sign it, have Hank sign it, too.” He pauses as Connor flips through the pages, his expression unreadable. “There’s more than that, though. A lot of those forms are only for Hank. Statements about beginning romances with your subordinates, and our policy on biases. If the rep decides you can return to homicide, you’ll both have to go through a sensitivity training to make sure that when assigning cases to the detectives, Hank doesn’t favor you.”

Fowler picks up another folder. “ _ These _ forms can wait, but I wanted you to go ahead and look at them. The ones I need to be finished soon are to acknowledge your current relationship, but these,” He passes the folder to Connor. “Are for when you’re married. The rules change a little, they’re a bit more lenient.”

Nodding, Connor flips through that folder as well, before closing them both and setting them in his lap. Fowler hands another folder to Gavin, this time. “These are for you. Our policies on homophobia and racism in the workplace. You have to sign that you acknowledge them, then compose a formal apology for outing them.” 

“Okay,” Gavin takes the folder, also expecting something like this. He chances another glance at Connor, who looks back at him with the same unreadable expression. Seeing him after all this time makes Gavin feel like shit. He makes a mental note to apologize to Connor for strangling him the  _ second _ they get out of this meeting. He looks down at Connor’s hands in his lap, still clasped together. He’s wearing a ring, which is weird? Gavin has never seen an android wear jewelry before. He looks back up, meeting Connor’s gaze. 

Connor’s expression has changed, as if he watched Gavin look at his ring. He shifts, his shoulders tensing. Gavin doesn’t know why before,  _ Oh _ . He glances down at Connor’s ring, then back at Connor.  _ Oh, shit. That’s- _ He turns back to Fowler, not wanting to freak Connor out any further.  _ That’s a wedding ring. _

In his peripheral vision, Gavin can see Connor place his right hand over his left to hide the ring. Gavin tries to focus back on the Captain. 

“Both of you are going to be responsible for sorting through the filing cabinets this year.” Gavin raises an eyebrow, and Fowler elaborates. “The cabinets down by holding, it’s mostly cold cases from the early 2000’s. Once a year we have someone go through them, make sure they’re in order, throw out the shit we don’t need. This year, that someone is the two of you.”

_ Cleaning? Bleh, gross. _

“Any paperwork that the other officers need to be filed in a hurry will be given to the two of you, in lieu of your lack of cases.”

_ Doing other people’s busy work? Gross. _

Fowler sighs, handing two folders to both of them in turn. Gavin realizes that the same reports are in both. One for him and one for Connor. “You have both been enrolled in a conflict resolution based anger-management counseling, and will have to complete one full course. Which means one session each week for six months.” Fowler gestures to the folder, and Gavin opens it, looking at the forms but not processing what they say. “You’ll both meet with Dr. Calliope Park every Thursday at 7 pm, starting this week. The address for the facility is in there, sessions are usually two hours.”

Blinking slowly, Gavin can’t really find any words. Anger management? He thinks for a moment. Maybe that makes sense for Gavin, but not for Connor. Gavin has never seen him get angry at  _ anything _ . Even that one time Gavin found him snooping around in the evidence room before the revolution, and Connor beat the shit out of him. He wasn’t angry, just defending himself. Even when Gavin strangled him for being an android, he just cried. 

Thinking back on that moment, Gavin knows that Connor is a state of the art murder machine. Connor could have incapacitated Gavin in less than a second if he really thought Gavin was going to kill him. Really, he should have at least pushed Gavin off of him. Fuck, it’s not like he couldn’t  _ breath _ , he’s an android. Gavin gets a little angry at that, glancing back up at Connor.  _ Why didn’t he fight back? Why didn’t he defend himself? _

Gavin tries to calm down, accepting that he probably needs the counseling.  _ Stop getting angry, _ He tells himself, knowing that his reaction to that is proof enough that he needs at least some sort of therapy. His gaze stays on Connor, who blinks in a less steady manor. “Thursdays?” He repeats, his voice low enough to be a whisper.

“Yes,” Fowler furrows his brow. “Why? Do you have a problem with that? Should I  _ reschedule?” _ He says the words with a hint of sarcasm.

Quickly, Connor shakes his head. “N-no, Thursday is…. Fine.”

“Okay, then.” Fowler sighs, leaning back in his chair. “One last thing, and it’s for you.” He points at Connor, who frowns ever so slightly. “Despite both of you being… unwilling to get along with one another, you still have to be partnered to Gavin, at least until we hire another human detective.” Connor nods. “But,” The android’s frown deepens, his eyebrows knitting together. “It’s going to be longer than originally planned. I know that we agreed on extending your trial period to two and a half years at our meeting last week, but…”

He trails off, and Connor shifts uncomfortably again. “Yes, we did. It was two years, but because of my searching through another officer’s things without a warrant, it disproved my ability to be a reliable detective on my own. The time period is being extended by six months.”

“Was,” Fowler corrects, then exhales slowly. “It  _ was _ six months. After speaking with HR on Friday, we decided on adding another two and a and half years.”

Connor laughs a little, a sound that surprises Gavin, who isn’t really sure what this means. Connor shakes his head. “Five years?” He continues to blink, processing slowly. “I… I apologize, Captain but that… That’s absurd. My actions were not  _ that _ detrimental to-”

“It’s not because of that.” Fowler interrupts, waving his hand. “The half year is for taking Gavin’s phone. The other two years are for having intercourse with your superior officer without notifying HR.”

_ “What?” _

Fowler shrugs. “It’s against our policies. Hank is a Lieutenant, and that is…  _ very _ against the rules. I don’t care that much, but HR is putting their foot down.” Connor shakes his head again, his gaze falling into his lap, not knowing what to say. “Look, Hank would have been the one to be disciplined like this. Both of you were  _ aware _ of the rules we have in place and actively ignored them. Hank would have been in more trouble, since you were the subordinate in this situation, he should have known better.

_ “But,” _ Fowler continues, sighing again. “In our meeting, after reviewing everything, HR decided that you are the one at fault. Though both of you failed to notify anyone of an intimate relationship for over a year, you were the one who instigated it, were you not?”

Connor’s breath hitches, and  _ guilt _ surges through Gavin’s entire body. “I… I suppose I… Um,”

“I’m sorry, Connor, my hands are tied.” Fowler slides the last folder to Connor. “Five years with a human officer. Your first year and a half has already been completed.” Connor takes the folder silently, his expression going blank again. Fowler sighs one last time. “That’s all I have for you both. We’ll have another, shorter meeting before the rep gets here to discuss how that meeting is going to go, alright?”

Gavin nods, very  _ very _ uncomfortable with the tension in the room. All three of them stand, and Fowler presses the button again to lighten the glass, revealing the precinct. “Gavin this is for you.” He holds his hand out, and Gavin almost gasps at the sight of his badge.  _ God he missed this thing.  _ Fowler  __ nods to both of them, before, “Connor, hang back a second.” Gavin pauses, then gathers his folders and exits the office, practically hopping down the stairs. 

He didn’t get fired, meaning, this went so much better than he thought it would. Tina waves him over to the break room, and he looks between her and his desk. Niles is seated there, so Gavin hooks a right and quickly moves to Tina. “How did it go?”

He shrugs. “Not too bad.” 

“Well,” She leans in, lowering her voice. “I know you’re nervous, Dude, but you have to talk to him at some point.” She means Niles, and Gavin sighs. “Don’t start that. You made your bed, go lie in it.” She gestures, and Gavin’s shoulders droop, moving to at least go stand in the doorway with Tina. She looks at Fowler’s office. “What are they still talking about?”

Gavin shrugs again, opening his mouth to tell her what happened before watching Connor stand from the chair in the office. Connor storms out, slamming the glass door behind him and walking down the stairs. He doesn’t cross to his desk, not even to set down the paperwork. Gavin’s jaw goes slack as Connor just  _ leaves _ the fucking precinct, not looking at or talking to anyone. 

Huh. Maybe Connor could use the anger management after all.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**1:30 pm**

Somehow, Gavin manages to avoid Niles for most of the day. He sat  _ very _ far away from Niles in the briefing, and luckily,  _ thankfully _ , Tina and Niles left for an assignment afterwards, giving Gavin some time to work on the paperwork Fowler gave him. When they got back, Gavin immediately left his desk to go assess the damage of the filing cabinets, spending as long as he could to make a list of all of the shit he’s going to need to do. Making a game plan. And rewriting the game plan over and over again, just to stay away from his desk.

When he’s exhausted that, he goes to lunch. 

Really, though, he drinks a Red Bull, leaning against his motorcycle.

Currently, he stands in front of the sliding glass door in the lobby, staring through to his desk. Niles is there, and he inhales deeply, preparing to step inside, before, “Detective,”

Gavin turns on his heel, thankful for  _ anything _ to keep him from sitting down, surprised to find Connor with his arms folded. Gavin blinks, not really sure when Connor got back after walking out this morning. “Uh, hey.”

“How has your paperwork been going?”

Blinking, Gavin crinkles his nose. “I finished a while ago, actually. I’ve been uh,”

“Good, I have, too.” Connor shifts, fixing his posture to stand more upright. “Would you like to drive around the Ravendale district? We can scan the area, get a feel for what we’re dealing with. I found the car Captain Fowler assigned to us.”

Gavin chances looking over his shoulder, back at his desk. He watches Niles for a moment, before Niles looks up, meeting his gaze. Fear washes over Gavin again, and he turns quickly. “Yup. Let’s go.”

It’s been…  _ awhile _ since Gavin rode in an actual squad car, and he feels uncomfortable. The last time he rode in one of these was a few months ago, actually, when Chris had to drive him home after getting too drunk to even call a cab. Gavin fastens the seat belt around him, grateful that Connor slid into the driver’s seat. Truthfully, Gavin hates admitting to people that he doesn’t know how to drive anything other than his bike. He really doesn’t like having to use the autopilot all the time.

Quickly, Gavin realizes that Connor didn’t want to check out their new patrol spot. He just needed a reason to stay out of the precinct. Gavin completely understands that. Connor drives them around in circles for five minutes before deciding on a spot to park. Gavin watches as he pretends to observe the area: looking up at the train tracks, watching pedestrians walk by. After a while, Gavin decides to speak up. “You don’t have to pretend to watch anything. I know you just didn’t want to be in the office. It’s okay, I hate that place right now, too.”

Connor’s face collides with the steering wheel as he falls forward, honking the horn and making Gavin jump. He groans loudly, and Gavin is kind of glad that Connor didn’t just shut down or whatever. That would have scared the shit out of him. Gavin waits for a few more seconds, before deciding that now would be a good time to apologize. “Hey, look, I… I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Connor mumbles, not looking up from the steering wheel. 

“For,” Gavin pauses, exhaling slowly. “For reacting the way that I did. I was being extra, and I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that. I hope we can move past this.”

Connor sighs. “It’s alright. I’m not angry, you don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry I went through your things.”

“I think that part was justified.”

“It was not.”

“Well,” Gavin scratches his chin. “I was being an asshole.”

“You being an asshole was not my business.” Connor sits up, relaxing into the headrest. “Sorry for dragging you out here, I just…”

Gavin laughs a little. “Don’t worry, I’m trying to avoid everyone, too.”

Raising an eyebrow, Connor turns to look at him. For a second, Gavin thinks he’s scanning, trying to figure out all of Gavin’s secrets. Hopefully, Connor can’t tell that Gavin’s freaking out because of how hot his brother is. “You’re avoiding one person in particular, I think.”

_ Shit. _ “Yeah?” Gavin clears his throat, trying to seem casual. “I think it’s a lot of-”

“You’re trying to stay away from Niles.”

It’s not a question. Gavin tries to hide his face in the hood of his jacket. “I mean… I guess I am. It’s not like I-”

“It’s fine.” Connor sighs. “He’s trying to avoid you, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He doesn’t want to see to you.”

Well, that doesn’t necessarily make Gavin feel  _ worse _ , but it certainly doesn’t make him feel better. The thought of Niles avoiding him kind of… sucks? Sure, Gavin is too nervous to even look at him for too long, but… when he does look, the view is nice. He supposes it’s dumb to get his hopes up. Stupid to think that Niles might still like him.

Now that they’re sitting here, there are a lot of questions that Gavin wants to ask. He settles for the two questions that have been bothering him since this morning and, surprisingly, neither one of them is about Niles. “Can I ask you some stuff?”

Connor blinks, then shuts his eyes, leaning back against the seat again. “Sure.”

“What happened to your LED?”

The response is a deep sigh, and what Gavin assumes would be an eyeroll if his eyes weren’t shut. After a beat, “I got tired of looking like an android.”

Oh. Gavin isn’t sure what to say to that. Probably because that’s his fault, mostly. He asks the second question. “Um, what about your ring? What’s up with that?”

Connor shifts, not opening his eyes as he holds his left arm out to Gavin, letting him see the ring. “Hank bought wedding bands for Christmas. We’re not married yet, but we’re wearing them. It seems immoral to me, to leave them in the box for months until we get married. They’re physical reminders of our-” He cuts his sentence short, then takes his hand back, letting it fall into his lap. “That’s probably weird, sorry.”

“What? No, it’s not…” Gavin exhales. “I don’t think it’s weird.”

Silence passes between them. Gavin starts racking his brain for other things to talk about before, “Can I ask  _ you _ some stuff?” Connor shoots Gavin’s words back at him, making Gavin snort. 

“Yeah, why not?”

“It’s obvious that you care about Niles,” Connor still doesn’t open his eyes, and Gavin wonders if Connor would even notice if he jumped out of the car and ran far away to avoid the question he knows is coming. “Why did you react the way you did when he expressed his feelings towards you?”

_ Shit, here we go. _ Gavin is kind of perturbed by that question, but decides to tell Connor what he’s been telling himself for a month. What he’s been trying to work up the courage to tell Niles. “I really like him. That freaked me out, because I’ve never like,  _ liked _ anyone so quickly. I just wanted to take things slower than I usually did. Like, I didn’t want to screw things up with Niles like I’ve screwed up every other relationship I’ve ever had. I just, was drunk, and he looked like you, and I guess my subconscious was still mad at you. I just… I don’t know. My brain does weird shit sometimes, and I ended up making things worse for myself.”

Connor shifts finally, turning his head against the headrest to gaze at Gavin with dark brown eyes. He blinks a few times. “I understand that. I figured it had something to do with me.” Saying that seems to hurt him, and Gavin tries to get him to elaborate. “I mean, when I interfaced with Niles, and he showed me what happened I thought… You looked at him differently. The way you look at me, sometimes. I figured it’s because we have the same face. I… I don’t like being the reason Niles is upset.”

Gain furrows his brow. “I’m pretty sure it’s  _ me _ he’s mad at.”

“You wouldn’t have said that stuff if it weren’t for me.” Connor gazes out of the front windshield, smiling a little as a pedestrian walks past with their dog. “Would you like for me to talk to Niles for you? I can try to make things less awkward, since you work so close to each other.”

_ Fuck, why did I strangle him?  _ Gavin thinks, shaking his head.  _ Why is he so fucking nice? _ “Nah, that’s okay.” He repeats Tina’s advice from earlier. “I made my bed, now I have to lay in it.”

Connor looks at him again, brows drooping a little. He opens his mouth to speak, before something beeps. Gavin looks around inside the car, not sure where it’s coming from before Connor blinks rapidly. The same way he does when he’s processing things. “Hey,” He pauses, still blinking. “I, uh, Detective Reed and I are in the Ravendale district. Patrol, remember?”

Gavin jerks his head back, wondering how the fuck he answered the phone without doing anything besides blinking. Androids are so-  _ Nope. Don’t finish that thought. No more mean android stuff. Stop that. _

“Well, yes, but,” Connor pauses again, rolling his eyes. “I just, didn’t want to be there right now.” Another pause. “I  _ know _ I missed the briefing. I don’t care. I have a  _ long time _ to go to those stupid things, right? Two and a half years.” He folds his arms, and Gavin tries to figure out who he’s talking to, before he realizes it must be Hank.  _ Or Niles. Fuck. _

“I.. No, don’t say that. It’s not, ugh.” Connor flails his arms. “I’m just angry, My Love.” Definitely Hank, then. “No, not at you, at the situation. I,” He groans, then turns to Gavin. “Is it okay if we head back? I have to-”

“That’s alright.” Gavin sighs. “I should probably get back to work anyway.” 

Nodding, Connor returns to talking to Hank, then puts the car in drive. Gavin does his best not to eavesdrop, staring out the window and wondering what the hell he’s going to do about Niles.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**5:43 pm**

Gavin runs his hands down the side of his face, his eyes burning from staring at his terminal for so long. He can’t remember the last time he was so focused on work, not breaking even once to look at his phone. Leaning back in his chair, he glances over at Captain Fowler’s office, now empty and dark, the Captain no longer at work. Gavin glances at the time in the corner of his terminal, then leans his head back to stare at the high ceiling.

He hasn’t… completely avoided Niles, though he hasn’t said anything to him. Mostly, they sat at their shared desk clump in complete silence. No matter how often Gavin looked up, Niles wouldn’t look back at him. Which is, a little disappointing. Even now, though the precinct is mostly cleared out, Niles still stares at his terminal, typing quickly and not looking up to meet Gavin’s stare. Gavin wonders if he even notices that Gavin is staring at him. Maybe he does, and just doesn’t acknowledge him.

Gavin yawns and stretches his arms out, then flicks his head to the side to crack his neck. He guesses that it’s probably time to leave for the day. He should of left at five, but he wanted to finish filing some of the stuff that Chris asked him to do. If nothing else, Gavin was at least going to try and be better at his job. Or, at least, the jobs that Fowler has assigned to him.

He shifts, turning off his terminal and gathering some of his stuff. He looks over to Tina’s desk, noticing that it’s empty. Did she leave? Gavin isn’t sure.  _ Maybe she’s in the break room, _ he thinks, turning around to pull on his leather jacket.  _ I’ll check before I go. _

Footsteps gain his attention, and he looks up to find Hank and Connor crossing the floor towards them. Hank nods to Gavin briefly, then keeps walking, towards the glass doors leading out of the precinct. Gavin goes to say something to Connor, then realizes that Connor isn’t here for Gavin.  _ Right. Of course not. _

“How late are you staying, Bubs?” Connor sets something on Niles’ desk, shifting to lean against it, his back turned to Gavin. Gavin doesn’t want to intrude, but kind of still wants to listen, so he turns his terminal back on and pretends to do some more work. “I know North said you guys were going to jam.”

Niles shrugs, finally looking up from his terminal, not stopping his typing. “I’m not sure. I have to finish this report for Chris’ force.” 

Gavin realizes that he hasn’t even heard Niles talk all day. Not before now. His voice is so… alluring that Gavin wants to melt. To just turn into a liquid and slide out of his chair and onto the floor. It’s exactly as he remembers. The same deep voice that floats through Gavin’s head at night, whispering sweet words into his ear, loud enough for only Gavin to hear. 

_ You’re kind, deep down, and funny, and a good dancer. And your eyes are astounding. _

A shiver runs down Gavin’s spine as he remembers all of those sweet words, knowing that he would do anything to have Niles talk to him like that again. 

_ I like you, Gavin. _

Gavin wants to die.

“You  _ do know _ that I can just do that for you, right?” Connor pats the top of Niles’ head. “I am a desk boy now. Desks and paperwork only.”

Gavin doesn’t look up when Niles groans, trying to convince himself that it isn’t one of the hottest sounds he’s ever heard. “Don’t say desk boy. That sounds weird.”

“What’s wrong with desk boy?”

“It sounds suggestive.”

“Exactly. I am suggesting that I will do your work for you.”

Niles sighs. “That’s not what I meant, I-” He pauses, then glances up at Gavin, sending a chill up Gavin’s spine with his icy stare. “Nevermind.” 

Gavin holds his gaze, and Niles doesn’t look away. They stare at each other for what feels like a long time, and the pounding of Gavin’s heart in his ears drowns out all of what Connor is rambling about. He can’t tell if Niles is even responding to Connor anymore, unable to look anywhere other than his eyes. Gavin hopes that his own eyes scream how sorry he is, make it obvious that he knows how badly he messed up.  _ I shouldn’t have said what I said. I’m so sorry. Let’s start over. _

For a brief moment, Niles’ gaze softens, and Gavin thinks that maybe he’s about to say something. Then, they both jump as Connor’s hand collides with the back of Niles’ head, smacking him back into reality. Gavin feels a little better when he realizes that Niles got lost in the stare as well.

“Fuck, Connie.  _ What?” _ Gavin snorts at that, then looks back down at his terminal.

Connor sighs, standing up from the desk. “If you were  _ listening _ , you would know that I’m going over to Jericho tonight to see Markus and Simon before they leave for their trip. You and North should come, too.”

Niles rolls his eyes, turning back to his work. “I’ll ask her.”

Exhaling, Connor straightens his tie. He turns to leave, pausing for a second. “Have a nice night, Detective.”

Gavin blinks, then realizes that Connor is talking to him. “Oh, um, you too.” Connor starts to leave, and Gavin shakes his head. “Ah, hang on?” 

Turning, Connor raises an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Uh, you can just call me Gavin.” Connor tilts his head. “I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to call me Detective all the time.” 

The android’s mouth shifts, a forced crooked smile appearing for a brief moment before he turns again to exit the precinct. “Have a nice night,  _ Gavin _ .”

Gavin lets out a breath, reminding himself that if he’s going to get  _ better _ he needs to start being nicer to Connor, specifically. He remembers yelling at Connor the last time he used Gavin’s first name. He wants to change that. The screen of his terminal has started to jumble behind Gavin’s tired eyes, but still, he returns to it, giving Niles a curt nod.

The glass door slides shut, and Gavin contemplates leaving for the night, again, before Niles’ voice startles him. “The staring will stop.”

He jerks his head up, seeing that Niles has moved to the left of his terminal to glare directly at Gavin. This gaze isn’t one that Gavin has seen all day, and he takes a breath. “What?”

“You have been staring at me all day. You will not continue to do that.” Gavin’s mouth hangs open, not sure what to say, but Niles raises a hand. “I can tell, by your expression alone, that you have spent the entirety of this day worrying about how to speak to me. A quick solution to that problem? Do not speak to me. Not now, not ever again. What you will do, is listen to what I am saying to you right now.”

The alluring factor to his voice is gone, and Gavin’s body is slowly drained of any flirty vibes he picked up on before. “I have had people in the past treat me the same way that you did.”  _ Oh no _ . “However, I was never filled with any sort of urge to harm any one of them, human or android. Potential partners turning me down in a very similar way to how you did, and it did not phase me, and, honestly, you didn’t phase me either. Not even in the slightest.

“What  _ does _ make all of my morals and desire to be kind completely remove themselves from my programming is seeing people  _ strangle my brother _ .”

Gavin stutters, not knowing what to say. “I, uh. I didn’t mean to-”

“You will not speak when I am speaking to you.”

That shuts Gavin up quickly, and his jaw closes with a resounding snap.

“My brother is an incredible being, and is unbelievably kind to every living thing he ever encounters. Even plants. He is a sensational person for forgiving you, and you are very lucky that he is so quick to dismiss the actions of other people, even when they affect his well being negatively.” Niles stands, and Gavin swallows hard as he rounds the table to lean over Gavin. “Unfortunately for you, I am not so kind. Hank was wrong not to end your miserable, insignificant life right there, right then. If he cannot defend Connor the way that Connor deserves to be defended, then I will. You will grant him the respect he deserves, because if you don’t I will destroy you.

“I was programmed with five hundred different styles of hand-to-hand combat, and have preconstructed seven thousand different ways to murder you with my bare hands. Looking at you fills me with blinding rage, anger that overcomes my entire being, seeping into my social relations program and corrupting it, making my only desire to commit brutal homicide. If you do not want to die a bloody, painful death, you will not speak to me at work, and you will not stare at me with hurt, lovestruck eyes like you did today. I will spare you for now, for Connor’s sake. He tolerates you, and I refuse to even talk to you in front of him, knowing that I will never be able to without feeling the need to claw out your heart.

“If I  _ ever _ see you lay a hand on my brother  _ ever _ again,” Niles leans closer, pushing Gavin deeper into the chair as something in his mouth shifts, a clicking sound emitting from his jaw. Gavin shakes when he sees Niles’ teeth change, from perfectly white, straight teeth, to jagged, sharp ones. Niles runs his tongue over one of his canines, pressing hard enough to cut the skin, horrifying Gavin as he grins widely. Thirium drips from the point of the tooth.

“I will not hesitate to rip out your fucking spinal cord with my teeth.”

They stay that way for a few moments, and Gavin doesn’t know what to do as the seconds tick by, Niles still grinning, careful to show every single one of his teeth. Slowly, Gavin nods, and Niles stands upright, the clicking sound coming from his mouth again as he moves back to his desk to grab his coat from the back of his chair. He rolls his shoulders, then looks back at Gavin. “See you in the morning, Gavin. Have a nice night.”

Gavin doesn’t watch him leave, just stares at the spot where he was standing. Eventually, something in the precinct moves, and he blinks, rubbing at his eyes. Tina has emerged from the breakroom, and stares out at the sliding glass door with her jaw open. So, Gavin wasn’t dreaming. That  _ really _ just happened. Gavin supposes he should be terrified, and part of him is, but… After all of his dreams and weird fantasies, Gavin isn’t even  _ that  _ scared.

He continues to stare at Niles’ chair as he realizes that he’s… sort of turned on.

_ God, I’m fucked. _

  
  
  
  
  


**Jan 13, 2042**

**7:00 pm**

Gavin leans against the wall of the counseling facility, his arms folded against the cold. He runs his gloved hands along the front of his sweater, really glad that Tina convinced him to start buying warmer stuff. Even the beanie on his head protects his ears, and he’s not as cold as he usually is. Who would’ve guessed that January would be colder than December?

He continues to watch Hank’s car from where it’s parked, looking at his feet as he hears the door close. Gavin is  _ dreading _ having to do this, but he guesses he’s just going to have to get used to it. The footsteps grow louder, and Gavin looks up to find Connor, as he was expecting. He jerks his head back, though, confused before he remembers that androids probably don’t get cold.

Connor struggles to put his keys in his pocket without dropping the potted plant in his hand. He is... _ not _ dressed for the warmth. Tight jeans over small ankle boots, and what looks like one of Hank’s horribly juxtapositioned shirts tucked in, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His pants stay on with suspenders, and Gavin must make a weird face when Connor finally gets to the wall, because he asks, “What?”

Gavin’s face heats up. “N-nothing I-” He pauses, trying to change the subject, but just settling on commenting on his outfit in the least… weird way he can. “Your pants look nice.”

“Do not look at my pants.” Blinking, Connor keeps walking, and Gavin pushes himself off the wall to keep up. They enter the building, walking into a small reception room. The receptionist is on the phone, so they wait. Gavin can’t stop his gaze from traveling down Connor’s back, briefly wondering if Niles ever wears tight pants like this. Connor whips around, lowering his voice to whisper. “Do not look at my ass, Gavin.”

“What? I, uh,” Gavin sighs. “I’m sorry. I’m gay.”

“Well, so am I, but I don’t stare at  _ your  _ ass.”

Gavin huffs. “Well, I’m not a hot twink wearing super tight pants to see an anger management counselor.”

Sighing, Connor’s expression softens, and he shakes his head. “I wish we didn’t have to do this on Thursdays. I have a date after this.”

_ Oh. _ Gavin considers, then tries to make him feel a little better. “Well, you look good.”

“I know. That’s why I wore these pants.” Connor winks, and Gavin lets out a strangled noise, looking away quickly. Chuckling, Connor crosses to the desk, still holding the plant tenderly, as if it were a child. The receptionist clicks the bluetooth in her ear, hanging up the phone. “Hi!” Connor smiles, and Gavin hates himself for blushing so fucking much. “We have an appointment with Dr. Park.”

The receptionist nods, then stands. “You can follow me this way.” Her phone rings again, and she presses her bluetooth as she leads them down a long hallway. They stop outside of a door, and she pauses her conversation to turn to Gavin and Connor. “She’s in here. Go on in.” Connor tries to thank her, but she pushes past them, walking quickly to get back to her desk. He looks to Gavin, who shrugs, then places his hand on the doorknob.

The office is small, and Gavin doesn’t even know what he was expecting. A woman stands from her desk, dressed… in an awful lot of black, contrasting the bright pastels covering the room. She crosses to them, heeled boots clicking on the wood, a grin plastered on her purple-tinted lips. “Hey! You must be Gavin and Connor. Come in, come in.” Gavin shuts the door, and tries to say something before the woman notices the plant. “Is that a succulent?”

Connor nods, smiling softly. “Yes, ma’am. I brought this for you.”

She squeals, and Gavin feels the need to cover his ears, but decides that that would probably be rude. “Thank you! You’re…” She trails off, looking between the two of them.

“Connor,” Connor offers, extending his hand.

“Connor!” She repeats, taking the plant and shaking his hand enthusiastically. She turns. “Gavin,” She notes, grabbing Gavin’s hand and shaking it with  _ way too much force _ . Gavin is slightly intimidated. “I’m Calliope. Please don’t call me Dr. Park.”

Calliope gestures, then moves back to her desk, setting the succulent on its surface and waiting for them to sit. Gavin sinks into one of the pink armchairs, surprised at how soft it is. He tries to relax a bit. “Alright,” Calliope begins, lacing her fingers together on the desk. “We’re going to be here for six months, so buckle in. This is going to be a long and probably bumpy ride. I am an  _ appointed _ counselor, so don’t  be too harsh on me. I don’t want to be here, just as much as you guys do. Now, I have read through the documents Jeffrey Fowler sent over, and kind of understand what happened. 

“But,” She continues, raising a finger. “There are always two sides to every situation. So, for today, I think we should hear from both of you. You both tell me what happened with no interruptions, and then we can get to know each other. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Gavin agrees, Connor nodding beside him. 

“Great, okay.” Calliope picks up the plant, admiring it in the light. “You seem like a plant person, Connor.”

Connor adjusts his posture, folding one leg over the other. “I am. I like gifting them to people because I love all of my plants so dearly.”

Gavin rolls his eyes, not realizing at first the glare that Calliope gives him. She sighs, setting the plant back down. “This little guy needs a name. You want to give him one?”

Blinking, Connor nods, looking at the plant intently.  _ This is already stupid, _ Gavin thinks, folding his arms. After a brief pause, Connor picks a name. “Boris.”

“I love him already. Boris, my sweet summer child.” She picks up the succulent again. “Boris will serve as our talking baton. When I have you explain what happened, you will hold Boris. He’s magic, and he gives you the ability to speak.” She reaches into her desk, pulling out a magazine. She rolls it up, then holds it out for them to see. “If you interrupt who Boris has bestowed his speaking powers upon, you will get smacked.”

Gavin sputters, not enjoying being treated like a child at all. “I don’t see how that-” The magazine collides with his head. “What the fuck?” She smacks him again, and he sinks into his armchair. “This is bullshit, stop hitting me.”

“Boris has given me his power. Only I can speak, right Connor?” 

Instead of speaking, Connor nods pleasantly, his hand covering his mouth to stop him from laughing at Gavin. Gavin frowns. “You asshole.” The magazine hits his arm this time, and he groans, finally deciding to shut up.

“Okay, boys, let’s lay down some ground rules.” She turns to Gavin, setting the magazine down but still holding the plant against her chest. “Though this is anger management, it’s also conflict resolution. Meaning, I cannot help you resolve the issues between you two if  _ you _ ,” Calliope waves her finger, gesturing to all of Gavin. “Are close minded.”

He opens his mouth, and she raises the magazine again. He shuts his mouth quickly. 

Smiling, Calliope continues. “We are here to stop you guys from getting angry, right? So, Gavin, if you keep being racist and can’t even acknowledge that Connor feels anything, we’re not going to get anywhere. If, right now, you start this with the mindset that Connor is less of a person because he is an android, you will not graduate this course. Because,” She pauses, reaching over to a small mug to take sip. “If you can’t move past this, you’ll always be angry that Connor is even here, right? Because he’s a robot, he can’t be angry, he doesn’t have feelings, right?”

Gavin shrugs, sure not to interrupt her. “If you can’t admit that you were wrong, and that androids are alive right now, then I have no choice but to fail you both. If you’re still angry about him being here, and, by your logic, Connor isn’t even angry, then neither of you will get the certificate, you’ll both be sent back to your precinct to tell your boss that you both suck. And, you’ll both be fired.” She leans forward, pointing between Gavin and Connor in turn. “You will drown in your own sadness, losing your friends and eventually deciding to kill yourself, and you won’t be able to work closely with your fiance. You will drift apart and he won’t love you anymore.

“Is that what you want to happen?” Gavin and Connor shake their heads, horrified. “Good, Gavin, I think there’s something you need to say.” 

She slides the plant to Gavin, and he sighs, picking up the succulent and glaring at it. “I won’t be close minded. This is anger management, and obviously, Connor is angry, too. I’m sorry for seeming racist, and for talking over you. I will try to be better.” 

Calliope takes the plant back, grinning widely. “Good boy. Now, we can begin. Which one of you wants to go first?”


	9. I Won't Share You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Gavin go through more anger management.

**Jan 20, 2042**

**8:05 pm**

“You aren’t coloring inside the lines, Gavin.”

“So? What’s the big deal? It’s impossible. No one can color inside all of them.”

“Connor did.”

“Well, Connor is a computer!”

Two sessions of anger management with Gavin Reed has been taxing on Connor’s nerves. At first, he thought it wouldn’t be that bad. Last week, Gavin had been insanely pleasant and cooperative. He answered questions when asked, listened to Connor when he spoke. Gavin was very considerate of Boris, and respected his powers.

This session, however, is going terribly, and Connor is ready to go home.

Calliope had exercises prepared for them. Not the physical kind, but rather, the emotional kind. Different games used to get to know one another, rather than solve any conflicts. In Connor’s opinion, the exercises were superfluous, and ultimately didn’t really benefit anyone beside Calliope.

Not that he would ever say that out loud. He wouldn’t want to upset her, or anger her to the point of failing Connor on this course. Besides, Boris is on the other side of the table anyway. Connor can’t reach him.

He couldn’t speak if he wanted to.

“All I’m saying,” Calliope drawls, stirring her tea so the spoon clinks loudly against the porcelain of the mug. “Is that, if you really cared about being here, you would try a little harder.” She gestures with her spoon, keeping her other hand steady on the side of Boris’ pot. “The coloring sheet is implicative of your commitment. You aren’t taking this seriously.”

Gavin glares, making a show of dropping his crayon onto the table. He reaches out to poke one of the plant’s stems. “It’s coloring. Of course I’m not going to take this shit seriously, I’m not a child.”

Calliope frowns, returning the spoon to the mug. “Would you like to move on to a different exercise? Maybe one you’ll take seriously?” Gavin nods, and she removes her hand from Boris, reaching into her desk to pull out a single, blank sheet of paper. She slides it forward on the desk, then returns her hand to the pot, pushing Gavin off of it. “Do you see this paper?” Another nod. “It’s pristine, right? Perfectly clean, nothing wrong with it. Go ahead, pick it up.”

Frowning, Gavin complies, picking up the paper with disinterest. Calliope returns to stirring her tea. “Hold it up in the light.” He does. “Do you see anything wrong with it? Any imperfections? Anything that makes it less of a piece of paper?” Gavin shakes his head, confused. Truthfully, so is Connor. But, Calliope isn’t subjecting  _ him _ to the paper like she is with Gavin, so he isn’t about to complain. “Okay, now, I want you to destroy it.” Gavin’s mouth falls open a little. “Go ahead. Rip it up, draw on it, I don’t care. Ruin it.”

Gavin hesitates, staring at the blank paper before deciding to just crumple it, crushing it down into a little ball. He sets it on the table, and Calliope smiles. “What do you see now?”

“Well,” Gavin begins, placing his hand on Boris again. “It’s a ball.”

“Yes, but what’s different about the paper? What have you done to it?”

“I crushed it. It’s all small now.” Gavin looks around, laughing. “I could probably throw it towards that trash can over there and make it in.”

Calliope sighs. “I’m glad you find this amusing.” She raises an eyebrow. “It’s Connor.”

“What?”

She smacks his hand away from the plant. “That piece of paper? It’s Connor.” She gestures to Connor, and Connor feels even  _ more  _ confused. “Now, see if you can put it back to how it was. Just a regular old piece of paper.” Slowly, Gavin unfolds the ball, pressing it against the table top to try and smooth it out, flattening it as much as he can. It still looks like paper, Connor supposes, but it’s wrinkled. Not as perfect as before. Calliope nods approvingly. “Do you understand what you just did, Gavin?”

After looking at Connor, Gavin reaches over to touch Boris again. “I… The paper was perfectly fine at first? But I messed with it, and it doesn’t go back to the way it was before.”

“Correct.” She gestures again. “Connor was perfectly fine. Nothing about him made him less of a person than anyone else. You said hurtful things to him, and harmed him a great deal. He forgave you, which was kind of him, and you believe that these sessions are pointless and not worth your time. You think that you don’t have to worry about the consequences for your actions just because you didn’t actually ruin your own life. A smack on the hand, sure, but nothing that really affected  _ you _ negatively. 

“Connor, on the other hand.” Calliope picks up the piece of paper, holding it up to the light. “May seem fine. Still seems like a complete person, nothing wrong with him, just like he was a few months ago. But,” She hands the paper to Gavin. “Do you see what’s different?”

Gavin hesitates. “He… He doesn’t have an LED.”

“Who’s fault is that?”

“Mine, probably.”

“Yes. You got off with a warning, but Connor has changed as a person. And, no matter what you do, Connor will never be the same again. I need you to decide that these sessions are important, Gavin. If not for yourself, at least for Connor.” She takes a long sip of her tea, sighing a little at the warmth of it. “He deserves your respect now more than anything. By refusing to follow the rules of the exercises and failing to color inside the lines, you are proving to Connor that you truly do not care about him, nor are you troubled by your heinous, immoral actions.”

Gavin sits with his mouth wide open, while Connor tilts his head to the side. He blinks, trying to process things, then looks down at his own coloring sheet, not understanding why coloring inside the lines is so important. Or, how any of this means anything. Yes, Connor colored the picture to completion, but that’s what he was instructed to do. Gavin crumpled the paper like he was told to. 

Calliope senses Connor’s unease. “Do you have anything you would like to say?”

He shakes his head, but she insists, sliding Boris towards the center of the table. Sighing, Connor places his hand on the pot. “I am not a piece of paper, Calliope.”

“Wh-what?”

“I am made out of synthetic polymer. Not paper.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ.” Calliope shuts her eyes, exhaling slowly. She stays like that for a while, her head bowed in disbelief. Connor isn’t sure what’s wrong with her, though. Why she would get upset over Connor stating facts is beyond his knowledge. He exchanges a glance with Gavin, who looks like he would laugh if he didn’t have to wait for Boris. Eventually, Calliope sits back up, shaking her head. A smile returns to her face. “Okay, right. You’re an android. No more metaphors.”

_ Was that supposed to be a metaphor? Oh. _

Metaphors don’t resonate well with Connor. It angers Hank to no end.  
Calliope stands, clasping her hands together. “Alright, follow me.”

Laughing again, Gavin leans forward to shoo Connor off of Boris, placing his hand on the pot. “Whoa, Lady. You don’t have any speaking powers.”

Rolling her eyes, Calliope folds her arms. “Boris bestows powers upon the two of you. I place my hand on him, pretending to bask in his all knowing righteousness to humor you. However,” She gestures widely with both arms. “This is my domain, and I have all the magic. You two are restricted to only Boris, while I am all powerful.” Gavin opens his mouth, but she speaks over him. “If you even try to hit me, I will destroy you.” She turns then, still smiling. “Bring Boris this way.”

Connor looks to Gavin, who sighs and snatches the succulent off of the table. Connor stands, too, and they follow behind Calliope to the other side of the room, closer to the door. She waves her arms, then sinks to the floor, leaning against the wall and stretching her legs outright. She pats the floor on either side of her, and Connor sits beside her, waiting for Gavin to sit as well.

He doesn’t, still holding the plant. “Uh, no thanks.”

Calliope groans. “Why not?”

“The floor is dirty.”

“Excuse you, Gavin, it is perfectly clean” She seems offended, and Connor does a quick scan on the floor on his left. The report shows that it’s been cleaned recently. He opens his mouth to tell Gavin, then thinks better of it, reaching forward and gesturing for Gavin to place the plant in his hand.

Gavin scoffs. “No, fuck you, I’m speaking.”

Connor drops his voice to whisper, lowering the probability of Calliope hearing him. He covers the side of his mouth with his hand, lowering the probability even more. “I’m trying to help you.”

He jumps when a magazine smacks the top of his head, frowning.  _ Where did she get that? _ “Give me the plant, Gavin, if you can’t be civil.” Calliope commands, and Gavin folds his arms, still standing. Calliope sighs, rolling her eyes again. “Alright, I guess neither of you are taking this seriously.”

“What?  _ I  _ am.”  _ Smack.  _ Connor recoils away from the magazine. “Please stop hitting-”  _ Smack. _ He decides to keep his mouth closed, for now.

“Does either one of you care to know what I think about you?” Gavin still holds the plant, but doesn’t answer her, making her sigh again. “I think that you both are  _ horrible _ to be around.” Connor blinks, scrunching his mouth to the side in confusion. Part of him agrees with her. Gavin is awful company. But, Connor? Connor’s great. Or, at least, Connor thinks he is. “Connor,” Calliope turns, glaring. “You are probably the dumbest computer I’ve ever met.”

Oh.

“You’re at least trying more than Gavin is, but you still aren’t grasping the concept of conflict resolution. Every single one of the exercises you have failed, except for coloring inside the lines. And I use these games for children.  _ You’re worse than the human children I work with. _ You’re very entitled, you’re a know-it-all, and you dress like a slut.”

_ Oh. _

Connor’s hands move to his stomach, covering the exposed part, trying to close his jacket over it. Slowly, he brings his knees up to his chest to fold his arms over his knees and peer at the floor.

Gavin snorts, and Calliope whips her head up. “Slow your roll there, _ Dicktective.”  _ He laughs fully this time, and she chucks the magazine at him, hitting his thigh before it falls to the ground with a soft thud. “You are a dumpster fire parading around as a person. You’re rude, and inconsiderate of anyone else’s feelings.  _ Both of you _ are selfish, and conceited. If you’ll forgive me, I am  _ trying _ to fix you, but I can’t do anything if neither of you take this seriously.”

Slowly, Gavin hands Boris down to Calliope, making her smack her head back against the wall. “Alright, you know what?” She raises her hand, glaring down at her watch. “I think we should call it.” Connor opens his mouth to protest, but she stands too quickly, turning to open the door. “We’ll continue this next week, when you guys want to start acting like adults.”

Blinking as he processes this, Connor slowly slides back up the wall to stand upright. He looks to Gavin, wide-eyed as Calliope grabs Gavin’s jacket from his chair and shoves it into his arms. She pushes him out of the room, and Connor follows, still shocked as Calliope shuts the door on them. He looks down at Gavin, who angrily shoves his hands through the leather sleeves. “Gavin, I-”

“Nope.” Gavin shakes his head. “We’ll, ugh, fuck.” Connor raises an eyebrow.  _ “No _ . I don’t mean, uh-” Gavin takes a breath, pulling the jacket up over his shoulders. “I’m going home. We can talk about this at work tomorrow, okay? Apparently, we’re just fucking this whole thing up.”

He storms off down the hallway, and Connor stares after him, really hoping that Calliope isn’t angry enough to refuse to work with them anymore.

  
  
  
  
  


**10:35 pm**

Hank chokes on a mouthful of fries, coughing harshly and bringing his fist to his chest. Connor places his hand on Hank’s shoulder, knowing from experience not to get too worried when Hank coughs like this. Slowly, Hank looks down at Connor, wheezing as he finishes chewing. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Connor sighs, then hands him a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth. He repeats his question, careful to draw out the syllables so Hank hears him this time. “Do you think I dress like a slut?”

“Jesus,” Hank coughs again, shifting awkwardly so his shoulder bumps Connor’s. “I don’t know, Con. I like how you dress.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Connor quips, folding his arms.

Hank shifts again, sinking further down onto the leather of the booth’s cushions. He taps his hands on the table, glancing around absentmindedly, as if he’s trying to find  _ anyone _ else to save him from answering this question. “Okay,” He sighs, running a hand through his cropped hair, grey strands falling against his forehead. “I love you so much, Con. You know that.”

“I do.”

“Okay, uh,” Pausing, Hank’s hand finds Connor’s, entwining their fingers next to the basket of fries. “Sometimes… You wear things that…  _ Most men _ would not.”

Connor blinks, frowning slightly. “How so?”

Hank taps his knuckles on the table slowly, trying to find words. “I mean… Right now, for example.” He looks downwards at Connor’s shirt. “No one else in here is dressed like that, Con.”

Frowning, Connor thinks about his outfit. Sure, it’s a bit more revealing than it was when they got here, but that’s only because he took his jacket off. Then, it hits him. “Hank, you bought this shirt from a thrift store in 2006. I highly doubt anyone else in this room would have this exact outfit.”

“No, Babe, that’s not what I-” Hank sighs, cutting himself off and starting over. “When I bought that shirt, it fit me like a normal shirt.” He gestures again, then, daringly, sticks another fry in his mouth. “You cut it and stuff.” Reaching down, he pokes Connor’s abdomen. “Most dudes don’t wear crop tops.”

Connor considers this, really trying to grasp what the problem is. He truly doesn’t get it. If women can have their stomachs exposed, why can’t he? Humans continue to confuse Connor immensely. “So, I  _ do  _ dress like a slut?”

Sighing again, Hank squeezes Connor’s palm, swallowing a mouthful of fries. “Sort of.” Connor frowns. “But, if you think about it, it’s kinda hot? Like, yeah you wear crop tops but you only sleep with me. You’re not actually a slut.”

“Who’s not actually a slut?”

Looking up, Connor finds Niles’ eyes, half hidden beneath a copious amount of eyeliner. His arm is draped over North’s shoulder, and Connor notices that she’s wearing almost the same amount of makeup. Hank heaves a sigh, relieved to finally have a reason to stop talking about this. Connor marks an objective to make sure to bring it up again later. Niles slides into the booth across from them, gesturing for North to follow. She collapses into the booth as well, folding her gloved hands on the table. She pokes the basket of fries. “Hey. These look gross.” 

To spite her, Hank shoves a handful into his mouth, chewing obnoxiously. Connor rolls his eyes, trying to ignore him. “Where were you guys?”

Shrugging, Niles tries to wave a waitress over to them. “We wanted to scope the place out, see if we could see the instruments from behind the curtain.” He glances down at North. “The drums are-”

“Amazing!” North interrupts him, smacking her hands down on the table and jostling the fry basket. “Old school, custom yamaha. Super high-tech. That things packin’ a computer almost as powerful as Big Bubby over here.”

She pats Niles’ chest and he frowns, even more so than usual. “Do not call me that.”

Continuing, North picks up a french fry, holding it up to the light. “It’s got touch screens, lights and wires coming out of the bottom, the whole shebang. I need to get closer so I can see how they upgraded it like that, because that shit is  _ tight.  _ I need my rig to be that awesome.” Disgusted, she drops the fry back into the basket.

“I would like to know the circuitry behind makeshift technology like that,” Niles begins, waving at another waitress as she passes and groaning when she ignores him. “I suppose the mechanics make sense enough, but I also don’t think that a human is capable of combining different forms of tech like that. Unless they had a CyberLife engineer look at it.”

“Maybe it was an android?” Connor offers, looking towards the stage through the crowd of people, unable to see the drums from behind the curtains. 

Niles shakes his head. “I don’t believe so. The handiwork was too sloppy. Besides,” He sighs, rolling his shoulders back as a waiter finally approaches the table. “Most androids aren’t capable of creating circuitry like that. It had to be someone from CyberLife, because the only android with the motor skills to create something like that would be the most advanced model ever produced.” He chuckles, nudging North’s shoulder. “But,  _ I  _ did not make any drums.”

Laughing, North leans into him, and Connor smiles. He’s honestly very happy that Niles has made a friend. When Niles first came to Detroit, Connor had worried that he would shut himself off like he did in Kalkaska. Or, worse, Connor would bring him to hang out with Connor’s friends, and he would detest them.

Though, sometimes Connor wonders about North’s obvious attraction to his brother.

Since Christmas, North spends almost every night at Niles’ apartment. At first, they did it to play music, but now, Connor is sure that they just hang out. He’s interfaced with both of them, and part of the reason he invited them to this show was to get them to spend time with each other outside of Niles’ place. Connor knows that North is, and might always be, upset about what happened with Markus. After the revolution, Markus left her with claims of not having time and focusing more on enforcing freedom for all androids. Connor was with him for a short while, but they parted, too, and Markus started dating Simon.

Any time Connor interfaces with North, he can feel how upset she is. How she wonders why Markus can make time for Simon when he didn’t make time for her. Frequently, North just buries herself with work. She works in a rehabilitation center for battered androids, she volunteers at various shelters throughout Detroit, and, of course, she and Connor run a therapy session at Jericho on the weekends. Connor knows that she stays so busy to avoid thinking about Markus, and he supposes that he doesn’t really blame her.

So, naturally, feeling his programming flood with her feelings for Niles shocked him. Knowing that she’s finally moving on from Markus is one thing, but, it’s quite jarring to feel someone else’s lust for your brother. But, Connor loves North, and wants only the best for her. She really deserves it, after all that she’s been through. He wants her to be happy. So, he’s hoping that forcing her to spend more time with Niles will be good for her. Plus, North and Niles have definitely interfaced with each other, so, Niles knows how she feels about him. But...

Niles’ emotions are still… a bit difficult for Connor to decipher.

Interfacing with Niles is a strange experience. Usually, with interfacing, Connor is immediately filled with true, raw emotion. The way that Niles expresses feelings is strange, and even he said that Connor’s emotions were different than his own. While Niles definitely feels  _ something _ for North, Connor wouldn’t say that he reciprocates her feelings. He likes her, sure, but the thought of romanticism frightens him, Connor knows it does. 

Almost any time Niles sees something from Connor’s thoughts about Hank, he shrinks into himself, immediately becoming uncomfortable. Connor used to think that it was because he wanted a serious relationship like Connor and Hank’s. But, Connor has realized that Niles is more complicated than that, and doesn’t really like the idea of relationships  _ at all _ .

Regardless, they’re both obviously into each other, and Connor apparently has to play matchmaker.

Even now, as Niles orders drinks for himself  _ and _ North, Connor smiles, nudging Hank with his elbow. Hank rolls his eyes, reaching forward to grab his water glass. “So, uh,” He takes a sip of water, trying to gauge how blunt Connor wants him to be. They discussed their game plan before Connor left for anger management, so Hank knows that he has to be nosy. “How have you guys been?”

Niles’ eyebrow arches, and he blinks down into his drink. “I am fine.”

He doesn’t give any other response, and North sighs. “We’re great, Hank, how are you?”

Hank shrugs, then sticks his hand back in the fry basket. “I’m okay, too.” He looks down at Connor. “Y’know, we’re planning a wedding or whatever.”

“I know! I’m very excited for you both.” North places her elbows on the table, leaning forward to rest her chin on her knuckles. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the guest list, Connor.” Connor furrows his brow. “Well, actually, we all have.” 

Figuring she means Markus, Josh and Simon, Connor glances down at the anchor on his wrist. “You can ask.”

She shifts, looking down at her own anchor as well. Smiling, she continues. “We think it might be televised.”

“What will?”

“Your wedding.”

Beside him, Hank chokes on his fries again, and Connor quickly tells him to  _ stop putting so many in your mouth at once, My Love,  _ before, “Why?”

North sighs. “It’s the first wedding for any of the androids who made it out of Jericho.”  _ Ah. _ “Sure, there’s like, married androids all over, but not a lot in Detroit. Plus, you know, Markus will be there, so obviously, there will be press.” She glances at her blue drink, stirring it around with her straw. “I know that everyone has kind of… calmed down since the revolution, but people still like us. We’re still kind of famous by some degree.”

She’s not wrong. Connor has seen the fanpages.

“All I’m wondering, is if you’re okay with that.” North sips from her straw, humming a little as the Thirium finds her throat. “Because, I mean, we all saw that one article on your ring, Connor. Everyone’s wondering. Plus, we can’t interface with someone without them finding out. Markus wants to post about it on social media, just to get it out there. Then, of course, people will want to go. Every android in this country looks up to us. You know how you said you wanted, like, a big wedding?”

“Yes…”

“Markus thinks it should be huge. Really give everyone a show. He’s hoping that a wedding like this,” She gestures to Connor and Hank with one hand. “A human and an android, will help convince some of the humans that still don’t support us, that we really  _ are _ alive. We’ve been talking about something like this for awhile, but if it’s  _ you _ , Connor, that would be so much better. A lot of androids admire you for standing up to CyberLife.”

Connor thinks about this sometimes. He knew that if he wanted a big wedding, word would get out eventually. He just… didn’t realize it was something Markus had been thinking about for political gain. He turns to Hank, who shrugs, then back at North. “Well, I mean,”

“We don’t have to decide anything right now,” North drinks from her drink again. “Markus is still in Paris, so we can talk to him when he gets back in town.” She taps the rim of her glass, eyes twinkling. “It’s just… something to think about.”

Slowly, Connor tries to say something again, but the lights dim, and North’s attention immediately goes towards the stage. Connor turns to Hank. “What do you think?”

“About a Kardashian sized wedding? I don’t know.” 

“It…  _ would _ be good for Markus’ campaign.”

“I know. And, hell, it could be fun.”

Connor snorts. “What?”

“It could be fun!” Hank picks up another fry, then thinks better of it, setting it back in the basket. “The whole… big gay wedding thing.”

Momentarily, Connor thinks about what Hank always tells him, usually while messing with the ring on Connor’s hand.

_ We’re basically married already. _

“What if,” Connor tilts his head, prepared to start whispering before North cheers with the crowd, scaring him slightly. He rolls his eyes.  _ She won’t hear me. _ He considers that Niles isn’t paying attention either, and moves to speak into Hank’s ear. “What if we just… got married?”

Hank chuckles. “I’m pretty sure that’s already the plan, Con.”

“No, I mean,” Connor searches for the right words. “What if we got married for us. Like, a small wedding with just us, saying how much we love each other. Then, we go to California, do the  _ huge _ wedding to appease everyone.”

Smiling, Hank’s nose twitches in confusion. “I thought you wanted the big wedding.”

“I just want to be married, My Love.”

Slowly, Hank nods. “Do you think… if we agreed to let Markus use this as a Robo-Jesus thing, he would pay the rest of what we owe on the venue? And like, food and stuff? He’s very rich.”

“He might.” Connor smirks. “I doubt he would have us pay for that many cameras.”

“Well,” Hank’s smile morphs into a grin. “I’m good with that.” He reaches up to run a hand through Connor’s hair, and Connor pushes away the thought of his greasy french fry fingers. “I think husband has a nice ring to it.”

Husband.

_ Husband. _

Connor has never heard Hank use that word before.

_ Husband. _ It’s sounds  _ wonderful _ .

“Husband,” Connor repeats, placing a kiss to Hank’s cheek.

Hank says the word again, and Connor wants to melt. He almost does, going slack against Hank’s chest, but North smacks the table again, making both of them jump. She cheers, then starts pushing on Niles, who mutters protests under his breath. “We’re going to go check out the set.” Connor didn’t even realize that the band had started playing. “They’re covering some old songs, so we’re also going to dance.”

Niles sighs, climbing out of the booth. “Yes, apparently, we’re going to dance.”

North stands, too. “Shut up, you like me.”

“I do.” 

They frown at each other, then North grabs his arm to yank him into the crowd. Connor watches after them, then turns back to Hank. “Do you want to...”

Hank blinks, then sighs. “I mean,” 

Connor nods, motioning with his hands so Hank doesn’t continue. “Nevermind. Don’t worry about it.” Connor kisses him before he can say anything else. 

Connor has tried to breach this subject before, but Hank usually declines.

Dancing.

Connor tells himself not to bring it up again, knowing how Hank feels about it. It’s better to not mention it, lest he start an argument. When he pulls away, Hank tries to say something else, but Connor turns back towards the stage. He’s content to lean against Hank in the booth, watching as North forces Niles to dance. It’s kind of comical, watching Niles dance. He’s talking  _ a lot _ , which is… very like Niles. Connor swears he sees North roll her eyes several times as she bounces to the music, trying and failing to stop herself from smiling at Niles’ rambling.

It makes Connor wonder… what it’s like.

Sure, he’s been to parties at New Jericho, and he’s seen  _ other  _ androids dance before, but, Connor has never tried. Usually, he would overthink the possibility of him being  _ bad _ at it and psych himself out. Too many outcomes where he tripped or bumped into someone, or  _ worse _ , people would laugh at him. Connor wishes he was more like Niles sometimes, uncaring of what other people think about him. He smiles softly as Niles throws his arms around North’s shoulders, and quickly, Connor realizes that Niles isn’t talking anymore.

His lips are moving, sure, but he’s not saying anything.

The words Connor watches as they form on his lips, match the words coming from the band. He’s singing.

That seems fun, too.

When Connor first started dating Hank, he began to… stop caring as much. Even more so when Connor was sure that Hank loved him. Nothing else mattered besides what Hank thought of him, and, obviously, Hank thought he was amazing. Connor remembers suggesting that they go dancing once, just to try it, but Hank said no. It hurt Connor’s feelings a little, especially after watching several old films with slow dancing to prepare himself. But, Hank wasn’t comfortable dancing, not in public, and Connor wasn’t about to make him do anything he was uncomfortable with. Even now that they’re engaged, Connor won’t ask him to dance.

Connor will just be one of those people that never dance.

And, maybe it’s stupid, but he’s starting to feel a little jealous of the people that  _ do _ .

He tilts his head, trying to focus on the music and not on his brother. Failing, he watches as Niles moves alongside North, the closest thing to a smile on his lips as she leans on him. It must be obvious what Connor is thinking about, because Hank’s hands slip around Connor’s waist. “Baby,”Connor looks over his shoulder, about to speak before, “I owe you a dance, okay?”

“What?” Connor asks, turning to look at Hank before he sees Hank’s gaze shift to the table as Niles sinks back into the booth. Frowning, Connor turns to his brother, trying to make it seem like he  _ wasn’t _ just thinking about how jealous he was of Niles. “Are you alright?”

Niles sighs, then drinks from  his glass, quickly downing the entirety of its contents before setting it back down on the table with a soft clink. “No.”

He folds his arms, and Connor exchanges a glance with Hank before, “Care to elaborate?”

“No,” Niles says again, his lips pursed. 

“Fine,” Connor turns back to Hank. “Did you say that you owe me a-”

“It’s just,” Slowly, Connor’s words die in his throat as Niles interrupts him.  _ Asshole. _ “I’m confused.”

“About what?”

Niles’ mouth falls open slightly for a second, and Connor can tell that he’s trying to change the subject, find something else to complain about. He must not want to talk about North in front of Hank. “I… do not understand cover bands.”

“Why not?”

“They sound good.” Niles turns to look out at the stage. “They sound like the original artist, but they aren’t androids, so they don’t have any vocal imitation programs. It’s confusing to me. Why don’t they just write their own music? Obviously, they’re impressive, so, why won’t they create their own things? Doesn’t playing music lose it’s fulfillment if you aren’t creating music for yourself?”

Connor shrugs. “I don’t know, Niles. I don’t play music.” He shifts, lacing his fingers with Hank’s again, squeezing firmly. “If cover bands confuse you, why did you agree to come?”

Blinking, Niles eyes North’s drink. “I’m unsure.”

“I might have an idea.” Connor leans, laying his head on Hank’s shoulder, enjoying how Hank relaxes, his shoulders drooping. “I think that you wanted an excuse to spend more time with North. She likes bands like this, and would probably enjoy covering music if you asked her.” 

Niles sighs again. “Connor, I-”

“She likes you. You just have to talk to her.”

Frowning, Niles reaches for North’s drink, pulling out the straw and drinking the rest straight from the glass. He hisses, then sets it back down. “It’s more complicated than that. North likes me in a romantic way. I am not sure how to approach that.”

“Well,” Connor laughs a little, sitting up again as Hank reaches into his pocket, pulling his phone out to pretend that he isn’t listening to their conversation anymore. “I know that you haven’t been with anyone long enough to know how to act, but you’ll get there, Bubs. You know how she feels, she knows how you feel, right?” Niles nods. “Then, I don’t see the problem. Just ask her out.”

Niles’ eyes widen, and he shakes his head frantically. “Oh, no. No.” He exhales, then shakes his head again. “No. I don’t want that.”

“You… you like her?”

“Yes.”

“But, you don’t want to ask her out?”

“Correct.”

Connor blinks. “Okay, then I’m lost. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what-”

“I don’t want to date her.” Niles groans, clenching his fists on the tabletop. “I don’t know what…  _ ugh.”  _ He pauses, looking out at the crowd of dancing people, scanning faces to make sure that North isn’t around. “Obviously, she’s great. But I personally do not like the idea of being bound to someone like that.” Connor raises an eyebrow. “I mean, it seems… Like too much work. My mind is far too complex to let anyone else inside, my social relations programming is  _ nonexistent, _ and I enjoy spending time alone more than anything else.  _ She _ is wonderful, and knows how to act around other people.

“But, I do not. You say it yourself all the time, Connie. I suck at being a person. I cannot and probably will not treat her the way that she deserves to be treated. And, it wouldn’t be fair to me. My distaste for any sort of romanticism is too vast. I won’t subject myself to something I am uncomfortable with.”

He stops, after spewing  _ so much information _ all at once. Connor looks at Hank again, whose eyes are glued to the blank screen of his phone. “Well,” Connor clears his throat. “So…  _ don’t _ ask her out, then?”

Niles rolls his eyes. “That’s not my problem, Connor. What I’m worried about is  _ her _ . North is so kind and so caring and I don’t want to hurt her feelings or... “ He sighs again. “No one I have ever been with has wanted an actual relationship with me. I don’t know how to proceed.” 

Connor watches as Niles folds his arms, and briefly thinks about  _ Gavin _ , for some unknown reason, before North joins them, sliding down into the booth with a grin plastered on her face. She looks at the table. “Woah. Did you drink my drink?” Niles nods, and she smacks his shoulder. “Dick. You’re buying me another one.”

“That’s fair.” Niles shrugs, and Connor lets his eyes dart between Niles and North, urging him to talk to her. He groans, setting his jaw. “North,” She sits up, brushing a lock of red hair away from her face. Niles’ expression goes soft, and Connor relaxes a bit. “Would you like to cover songs? It might be easier and more stimulating than if we keep attempting to write our own-”

“Ah! Yes!” North laughs, clasping her hands together. “Oh my Ra9, Ni, I would  _ love _ that!” She thinks for a moment, before smirking. “You know what would sound  _ amazing _ with the acoustics at your place? Ghost Town.”

Niles huffs, a pleasant sound emitting from deep in his lungs. “We should do Dr. Doctor.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I  _ love _ Dr. Doctor!”

Connor smiles, not remembering what that band sounds like but, pretending like he absolutely understands what they’re talking about. That’s how the rest of the show goes, Niles and North gushing about bands and music that Connor doesn’t like that much, while Connor tries to focus on Hank. He fails miserably, and ends up asking Niles to explain the mechanics behind the robotic drum set. They listen to Niles for an hour before North decides to call it, and asks him to take her home.

Because of this, Connor doesn’t get to ask Hank about dancing again until they’ve gotten home, and walked Sumo. When he does, Hank laughs. “I said I owe you a dance.”

“Yes, but what did you mean by that?”

“I mean, I’ll dance with you, just… not in public.” Hank shifts from his spot in the kitchen, rubbing his hand on Sumo’s head before crossing to the living room. Sumo follows, padding along behind him and hoping up to sit in the armchair. Hank leans over his old record player, starting to sift through his records.

Connor watches him closely, his breath hitched. “You mean… you  _ want  _ to dance? Here?”

Hank nods. “Yeah. I don’t like people looking at me. But, if you want to dance, we can.”

“I-” Connor smiles as Hank pulls out a record, his heart palpitating at the sight of it. Hank pulls the record from it’s sleeve, positioning it on the platter. “Hank, I’ve never done this before.”

“Yeah? Neither have I, really.” Hank chuckles. “At least… not like this. And, not in a long time. You like The Smiths, right?”

“I… I  _ love _ The Smiths.”

“Good. This album has great dancing vibes.” With some effort, Hank slides the coffee table out of the way, then moves the spindle on the record player after examining the back of the record’s sleeve, settling on a song he likes.

_ “I won’t share you, no.” _

Hank extends his hand, and Connor stands, placing his own hand against Hank’s palm, letting Hank lead him to the cleared spot in front of the couch.

_ “I won’t share you, with the drive and ambition, the zeal I feel, this is my time.” _

Tentatively, Connor wraps his arms around Hank’s neck, his heart pounding because it’s finally happening. He’s going to dance with Hank. Hank’s hands rest on the small of Connor’s back, pulling him a bit closer.

_ “The note I wrote, as she read, she said ‘Has the Perrier gone straight to my head?’” _

Hank takes the first, slow step, and Connor tenses. “Relax,” Hank breathes into his ear, making him shiver. “Just dance with me, Con.”

_ “‘Or is life sick and cruel instead?’ ‘Yes.’ No, no, no, no, no, no-” _

Connor leans against him, his head resting against his chest, feeling the steadiness of his breathing. Slowly, Connor steps, too. Trying to match Hank’s pace and the movement of his feet. Hank bumps into the coffee table, and they both laugh. 

_ “I won’t share you, no. I won’t share you.” _

A firm hand finds Connor’s chin, pulling his face up to Hank’s. He smiles, and Hank places a soft kiss on his lips, still swaying to the soft sadness coming from the record player.

_ “With the drive and the dreams inside, this is my time.” _

Dancing is easier than Connor thought it would be. There’s less to think about once you start. Really, it’s just swaying, pressed up against someone you love.

_ “Life tends to come and go. That’s okay, as long as you know.” _

It’s nice.

_ “Life tends to come and go, as long as you know, know, know, know, know-” _

Honestly, Connor can’t even tell if he’s bad at it. It’s not like he cares anymore, but this… is nice. It makes him feel closer to Hank than he already is. Almost like they’re the same.

_ “I won’t share you, no. I won’t share you.” _

The only people that exist. It’s just the two of them.

_ “With the drive and the dreams inside, this is my time.” _

The only ones that matter.

_ “I want the freedom and I want the guile.” _

Connor leans up to kiss Hank’s cheek, before falling to his ear to whisper, “Thank you.”

“What for?” Hank leans his head to the side, confused.

Sighing, Connor kisses his lips. “For being you.”

_ “I want the freedom and the guile.” _

Hank smirks, then pulls on Connor’s arm, spinning him and making him gasp. Connor kisses Hank again, as Hank allows himself to fall backwards onto the couch cushions.

_ “Oh, life tends to come and go, as long as you know, know, know, know, know-” _

Falling into his lap, Connor places his knees on either side of Hank’s hips, allowing him to kiss his fiance deeper. Connor gasps again when Hank’s tongue swipes the roof of his mouth.

_ “I won’t share you, no.” _

Connor runs his hands through Hank’s hair, all of his objectives switching to say  _ closer, closer _ over and over again. Hank runs his hands down Connor’s back and up under his shirt, the word  _ closer _ continuing to ring throughout Connor’s skull. 

_ “I won’t share you.” _

Their teeth clink together when Hank tries to raise Connor’s shirt, and they laugh. Connor pulls back, raising his arms to let Hank remove his shirt completely, discarding it onto the floor. Rough hands explore his chest as he moves to kiss Hank again, familiar error messages popping up in his line of sight. He ignores them, focusing on his own thoughts chanting  _ closer, closer, closer _ .

_ “I’ll see you somewhere.” _

Not gracefully at all, Connor reaches down to remove Hank’s shirt, laughing again when he can’t find the hem. Sighing, Hank takes off his own shirt, tossing it behind the couch to land wherever. 

_ “I’ll see you sometime.” _

Connor’s fingers trace lines along the tattoo on Hank’s chest, admiring the beauty of it. Hank sighs, pulling Connor back down to kiss him again. Connor forgets himself in the kiss, melting against Hank so he feels even closer. 

_ “Darling…” _

Hank’s hands snake down to Connor’s thighs, running along the length of them as Connor grinds down into his lap. The song changes, and Connor looks up for a moment, then realizes that Sumo is still sitting in the chair. “My Love,” He turns to Hank, who nods, allowing Connor to roll out of his lap clumsily. They have an agreement that they can’t do anything like this in front of Sumo, out of Connor’s fear of scaring him for life. Chuckling a little, Hank grabs Connor’s hand, pulling him away from the music and out of the living room.

They leave the door to their bedroom open, losing themselves in both the music and each other.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Jan 21, 2042**

**8:52 am**

Connor finds himself using Niles’ chair, pulled over to Gavin’s desk to make it appear like they’re doing work. Gavin types absolute nonsense on the terminal’s keyboard, mumbling nothing as Connor nods softly. He brings his gaze up to Fowler’s office, wondering when they’re going to remove the privacy shade. Gavins sighs, undoubtedly thinking the same thing. “God, how long have they been in there?”

“Forty-two minutes, fifty-three seconds and seven point eight milliseconds.”

“Oh,” Gavin leans back in his chair, shaking his head. “Do you think they’re fighting? I can’t hear them.”

Connor shrugs, truly having no idea. But, he understands Gavin’s fear, and he shares the feeling of dreading whatever is happening in there.

Hank and Captain Fowler are finally speaking with the representative from HR about whether Gavin and Connor can return to homicide.

The thought that the consensus might be  _ no _ , terrifies Connor.

They’ve only been on patrol for two weeks, but it still feels like forever. It has literally been over a month since Connor investigated any sort of murder, and he’s starting to get antsy. He drums his fingers against Gavin’s desk, his leg bouncing consistently despite trying to tell it to stop. “Will you stop?” Gavin asks, turning to glare at Connor in annoyance.

Connor shrugs, continuing to tap and bounce. “I can’t. My nerves are corrupting some of my software, and-”

“Yeah, okay, whatever shut up.” Gavin looks up, and Connor follows his gaze, sighing when he sees that Niles is walking back from the breakroom. 

Honestly, Connor is getting tired of people lusting after his brother.

Niles sets a tablet down on his desk. “That’s my chair.”

Connor scoffs, placing one hand over the other to stop the tapping. “I’m aware.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Niles frowns. “Then bring it back over here, Connie. I have work to do.”

“So take Officer Chen’s chair.”

Behind Niles, Tina laughs. “I’m sitting in it.” She turns to Niles. “Go ahead, try. I’ll fight you, I don’t care.”

Niles shakes his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I would destroy you.” He turns back to Connor. “Just get your own chair. Or, alternatively, work at your own desk. Stop hovering and do your job.”

Blinking, Connor shifts, his leg finally stopping the bouncing. He rests his elbow on Gavin’s desk, then presents Niles with his middle finger.

He laughs when Niles rounds the table, grabbing the lapels of Connor’s jacket, and Connor has to clutch the table to keep himself from falling as Niles yanks the chair out from under him. Niles stomps back to his desk, dragging the chair behind him. He drops into it, grumbling to himself as he reaches forward to turn his terminal on. Connor keeps laughing, and Niles throws a pen at him, his frown deepening. “Fuck you.”

Gavin laughs, too, and Niles’ eyes squint, his jaw clicking loudly. “Fuck you, too.” His teeth have turned sharp, and Gavin swallows his laughter, sinking down into his chair to hide.

Connor waves his hand. “There’s no need to become a shark, Bubby, calm down.” Niles opens his mouth to say something else, but Gavin elbow’s Connor’s side, drawing his attention back to Fowler’s office. The shade clears, and Connor can finally see inside. Fowler shakes hands with the HR rep, then with Hank, and they both stand to leave his office. “This is it.” Gavin sighs, fixing his posture and straightening in his chair. Connor pushes his tie up further on his throat.

The representative walks over to them, and Gavin stands, leveling himself with Connor. “Hi,” She reaches out to shake their hands. “It’s nice to meet you both, but I do have another meeting to go to.” She pauses, reaching into her briefcase to produce a small tablet, handing it to Connor. “I’ll be back on Monday to go over this syllabus with you about your sensitivity training.” She turns, nodding to some other officers before exiting the precinct. Connor exchanges a glance with Gavin before the clock on his terminal beeps.

9:00am. Briefing. 

_ Shit. _ Connor looks back to Fowler’s office as he and Hank exit, ready to ask them a thousand questions before they both cross to the briefing room.  _ Shit _ . Connor nods to Gavin, and sets the tablet down on the desk before moving to file into the briefing room with the rest of the officers. Gavin moves to his usual seat at the back, and Connor quickly slides into the seat next to Niles, who tilts his head. “Isn’t the sensitivity training for you  _ and _ Hank?” Connor nods, looking up to the front of the room. Captain Fowler stands at the podium, speaking softly to Hank, as they usually do before briefings. 

Connor can’t tell if the meeting went well or not based on their expressions, and the nervousness creeps back into his system as his leg begins to bounce again. Niles’ hand shoots down to Connor’s knee, stilling him. “Stop.” Connor tries to protest, or begin bouncing his other leg, but Fowler clears his throat, and he looks up again, trying to focus on the briefing.

“Good morning,” Fowler grumbles, rummaging through the piles of tablets on the podium, trying to find the first assignment. “We have a lot to do today, so let’s focus, okay? First off,” He hands a tablet to Hank, who walks through the tables towards Connor. His heart races as Hank sets the tablet in front of him, then returns to his spot at the front of the room. “Detective Connor, Detective Reed, you’re back on homicide.”

Gasping, Connor whips around to look at Gavin, whose jaw has gone completely slack. He nods to Connor, and Connor turns back to look at Hank, who winks. Connor grins, then looks down at the tablet. “Try not to fuck this up too much, alright?” Fowler quips, making the room laugh. Connor ignores them as Fowler moves onto the next assignments, quickly commiting the tablet’s contents to memory.

Various android biocomponents found buried in a woman’s backyard.

_ Perfect,  _ Connor thinks, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with emotion. He hopes that Gavin feels the same amount of relief that he feels. They can finally start working again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**12:32 pm**

The biocomponents belong to an AP700 model that was reported missing two weeks ago. Connor’s heart skips several beeps as he carefully examines each one. Two legs, one arm, and, of course, the android’s head. It’s chassis is exposed, all synthetic skin and hair removed from the face. Connor holds it up to examine it closer, and Gavin gags. “Jesus fucking Christ, Dude. It’s a head. Put it down.”

“I have to analyze it before I can reconstruct what happened here.” Connor mumbles, setting the head back in its spot in the mud. The snow has started to make Connor’s hands slippery, and he leans down to wipe his hands on his slacks. He squints, looking down at the biocomponents strewn on the ground, activating his reconstruction program. Still seeing the parts, he reverses, watching officers gather to look at it. Further back, a woman digging them out of the ground. He tries to go farther, but snow blurs his vision. Despite pushing, the image won’t budge.

Sighing, Connor turns to Gavin. “It’s too old.”

“What?” Gavin looks up from his spot leaned against the wall. A cigarette hangs weakly from his lips. 

“Whoever put these here did it too long ago. I can’t see back that far.” He looks back down at the biocomponents, then at the house. “The model they belong to was reported missing not too long ago, but it was long enough that I can’t see who put his limbs here.” 

Gavin coughs around a cloud of smoke. “So what should we do? Track down who reported his disappearance?” 

“I suppose.” Connor tilts his head. “I guess we can also go speak with Mrs. Walters. See if she remembers anyone suspicious being around this area.”

Gesturing, Gavin tosses the butt of his cigarette into the snow. “Lead on, then.”

Connor smiles, appreciating that Gavin is letting him take the lead on this. Of course, the investigation  _ does _ involve androids, so Gavin is pretty much out of his element. They make their way back into the house, where Mrs. Walters is still perched on the couch, staring angrily down at her phone. She looks up when they enter. “Did you find anything?” 

“Something like that.” Connor moves to sit next to her on the couch, while Gavin leans against the bookshelf beside it. “I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about some of the androids in this area. With your help, we might be able to see who put these biocomponents here and what they did to that android.”

Mrs. Walters sniffs, setting her phone face down on the side table. “Well, I’m not really sure,” she adjusts her glasses, and Connor has to remind himself not to be impatient. Mrs. Walters is seventy-two, and her memory is fading. Connor supposes that every human requires this level of patience at this point in their lives and, secretly, Connor dreads the day when he’ll have to slow things down like this with Hank.

“Do you remember seeing any androids in this neighbourhood? If any live around here?”

She sighs. “I… I don’t know.” She looks around. “Well, there is this one…  _ strange _ family that lives down the street. I don’t go outside often enough to know if they’re androids, but they’re weird enough to spook my grandchildren when they come to visit.”

Connor nods to Gavin, holding out the tablet they brought with them so he can take notes for their report. One thing they agreed upon, now that they’re working cases again, is that they are both going to be more diligent with their investigations. Sure, Connor can just make mental notes of everything and send them to his terminal, but Gavin cannot. They hope that the tablet will help him complete the reports in a more timely manner. Gavin moves off of the bookshelf to take it, bending over to sit on the arm of the couch beside Connor. He starts typing.

Smiling at Mrs. Walters, Connor continues to ask her questions about the strange family. She answers everything that she can, before she begins to ramble about her grandchildren. Eventually, her caretaker waves his arm at Connor, and Connor nods, knowing that he’s probably going to overwhelm her if he continues. “Alright. You’ve been very helpful, Ma’am. Thank you for speaking with us.”

She pats Connor’s arm, smiling softly. “You’re very welcome.” She looks at Gavin for a second, before, “You both seem like good boys. Please find whoever did this and ask them not to put anymore robot parts in my vegetable garden. I would hate for their blue goop to corrupt my eggplants.” She lowers her voice, leaning towards Connor’s ear. “Good luck dealing with the people across the street. God knows I wouldn’t want to deal with an  _ android.” _

The word  _ android _ is whispered with venom, and Connor sighs. “Of course. Thank you for your concern.” He stands, gesturing for Gavin to follow him. He says a quick goodbye to Mrs. Walters, then to her caretaker before exiting the house, crossing through the holographic police tape. The responding officers lean on their car, straightening upright when they see Connor. “I believe we’re done here. We can take the biocomponents back to evidence, bring in the technician to examine them closer.”

They nod, and hurry inside, undoubtedly tired of waiting in the cold for this long. Gavin tucks the tablet into his jacket as they cross the street in search of the family Mrs. Walters described to them. “Yikes,” He breathes, exhaling slowly.

Connor turns. “Hmm?”

“I mean,” Gavin shrugs. “That was… She was, uh,”

“Racist? Yes.” 

“Well, like, how did she not know that you’re-”

“I don’t have an LED, Detective.” Gavin’s jaw shuts with a snap, and he sighs. Connor shakes his head. “I’ve gotten used to people not liking my race, trust me. Let’s just… get this over with.” They start down the sidewalk leading to the house across from where the parts were found, and Connor doesn’t hesitate to ring the doorbell. 

The door swings open, revealing a short woman with cropped hair. Connor immediately recognizes her model, ST300.  _ Thank Ra9 they really are androids. Maybe we can finally get somewhere. _ “Can I help you?” She smiles sweetly, and Connor reaches down to grab his badge.

“My name is Detective Connor, this is my partner, Detective Reed.” He gestures, placing the badge back on his belt. “We’re with the Detroit Police Department. If you have noticed, there’s an investigation being held across the street. A woman dug up some biocomponents in her backyard. If you don’t mind, we would like to ask you a few questions, see if we can straighten this out.”

She nods, holding the door open for them. “Of course, come in.” Shutting the door behind them, she extends her hand. “My name is Alexandra. Let me grab my partner, then we can get started. Please, make yourselves at home.” 

Still smiling, she disappears behind a door, and Gavin sinks into the couch. “What do you think she meant by partner?”

Connor purses his lips, wondering why Gavin is still so dense. “Mrs. Walters said they were women, Detective. They’re lesbians.”

Gavin laughs, and Connor frowns, sitting next to him. “Sorry, that’s not,” He sniffs. “That’s not funny. It’s just, stupid that I didn’t know that. I’m gay.”

“I know you are, Detective.”

“It’s Gavin, Connor.” Gavin corrects, reaching into his jacket to retrieve the tablet again. 

Sighing, Connor taps the palms of his hands on his knees impatiently. “I know. I was being professional.” Gavin nods, and Connor shrugs. “I had hoped that you would try to be professional as well.”

It takes him a second, but eventually, Gavin nods again. “Oh! Right, sorry, er…  _ Detective. _ ” 

Alexandra returns with another android, an AX400. Connor feels a pang in his heart. She looks exactly like Kara. He stands to be polite, reaching out to shake her hand. “My name is-”

“I’m Steph, and I already know who you are.” She cuts him off, ignoring his outstretched hand and falling into an armchair. “You freed those androids from CyberLife.” 

Slowly, Connor sits back down. “That’s correct, I did.” He shifts, making sure that Gavin is typing. “I wanted to speak with you both about a missing AP700 model android. His biocomponents were found across the street.”

“Woah,” Steph whistles. “That’s heavy. What components?” 

“His left and right legs, his right arm, and his head.”

_ “His head?” _ She repeats, turning to look at Alexandra. “That’s disgusting.” Alexandra shifts beside her, uncomfortable, and Connor wonders if it’s the idea of finding a severed head in your backyard. Steph sighs. “You’re the walking forensics lab, right? I saw the reports about you on the news a few years ago. Did you see who did it?”

Connor frowns, not liking how she phrased that. “Unfortunately not. The perpetrator buried them weeks ago.”

“Jeez,” Sighing again, Steph crosses her legs. “I mean, I don’t know anything about that, so I don’t know what help I can provide.” She thinks for a moment. “Could you just like, interface with us? That might help.”

Blinking slowly, Connor nods. “Yes, actually. That would prove beneficial. There is a chance one of you saw something suspicious without realizing. Usually interfacing is considered a breach of-”

“We don’t mind, right, Babe?” Steph elbows Alexandra, who has begun to frown. Slowly, she nods, and Steph extends her hand, the synthetic skin peeling away. Connor places his hand against hers, his eyes blinking as her memories flood his vision. There isn’t really anything that concerns him, and he doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He pulls away, releasing her hand, and she laughs. “You tired?”

“I… I beg your pardon?”

“Because you,” She gestures with her hands. “You know….” Her eyebrows raise suggestively, and Connor’s face heats up as he realizes she saw how he spent his night. “Sorry, sorry. Not my business. Just messing with you. He’s handsome, in a bear kind of way.” Connor groans, and she apologizes again, then urges Alexandra to extend her hand as well.

She hesitates, but complies, slowly reaching her hand out. Connor touches his palm to hers, and is flooded with information again. He expects the same, normal thing, but pauses when he sees Mrs. Walters’ garden. And the biocomponents being buried. He pulls back, jaw open, and Alexandra turns quickly, sprinting out of the front door. “What the fuck?” Gavin shouts from beside Connor, springing to his feet. 

Connor scales the couch easily, rolling onto the floor to chase after her. He can hear Gavin behind him, trying to keep up as they reach the front yard. “She buried the biocomponents. Call it in.” Gavin slows, and Connor barrels after Alexandra, chasing her down the street. He squints, trying to preconstruct the best way to get to her. Settling on a route, he hooks a left, following her down an ally. She keeps going, and Connor curses himself for not picking up on her suspicious body language. 

They exit the ally, and Connor looks around to gauge his surroundings. It’s mostly suburbs still, and Alexandra turns sharply to slip through a wooden gate into a backyard. Connor hurls himself over the fence, landing on his feet and continuing to chase her. She rounds the house, exiting through the front yard and continuing down the street. Connor groans, leaning his torso forward to gain as much acceleration as he can. Pausing for a second, Alexandra tries to figure out where to go next, giving Connor the chance to hop onto a parked car.

He pushes off of the roof, flying through the air for a second before leaning forward to wrap his arms around her torso, pushing her onto the ground and rolling with her down the street. Alexandra fights back, landing on top of them when they stop rolling to punch his jaw. Connor is larger than she is, and gets the upper hand, flipping her over and pinning her to the ground. He reaches to his belt, gripping his handcuffs to place them around her wrists. Hearing panting in the distance, he looks up to find Gavin, jogging over to them.

Gavin places his hands on his knees, keeling over to catch his breath. “Fuck.” Connor stands, pulling Alexandra up by her arm. “Did she kill him?”

“No.” Connor looks down at her. “She just had the biocomponents. We need to bring her in for questioning, find out what she was doing with them.”

She spits at his feet, and Connor groans. Gavin moves to grab her other arm, and they slowly begin to walk her back towards their car, now several several streets away.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Jan 27, 2042**

**7:01 pm**

When they get to the anger management facility the next week, the receptionist asks them to wait. That seems… unlike Dr. Park, but Connor supposes it has something to do with making her angry. He shifts on the couch in the waiting area, adjusting the straps of his suspenders. He looks over at Gavin, who watches him closely. “What?”

Gavin blinks, his lips shifting in confusion. “I, uh, didn’t know you had tattoos.”

Connor scrunches his nose, then holds his arms out. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, exposing the flowers and the anchor. Gavin watches, so he twists his right arm so Gavin can see all of the roses. “Yes. I do.”

“Huh.” Gavin scratches the stubble covering his jaw line. “Are they new, or…”

“No, these aren’t.” He shifts again, folding his hands in his lap. He gets ready to talk about the new one, but thinks better of it. Gavin might think it’s stupid, so Connor decides to stay quiet. He’s glad that he does, because Calliope approaches them, finally, her lips pursed into a thin line. “Good evening,” He begins, trying to sound pleasant and formal.

She sighs. “I will only speak with you today  _ if _ you promise me that you’re both going to behave. Can you do that?” They both nod, and she turns, waving for them to follow her to her office. “I only have one exercise planned for today, and it’s the one you failed last time.” She opens the door, holding it open for both of them before closing it softly. “But, it requires you to sit on the floor.” 

Slowly, Gavin complies first, sitting down where she points and folding his legs underneath him. Connor sinks down as well, resting his hands on either of side of him. Calliope moves to the desk to grab Boris, then sits in front of them. They form an odd sort of triangle on the floor, and she clears her throat. “What we’re going to do now, is have you both ask each other some questions. I realized last week that one of the reasons you don’t get along is because you don’t know each other that well. How did your HR thing go at work?”

She hands the plant to Gavin. “It was good. We’re back to investigating now.”

Calliope nods, then takes the plant back. “Good. That means that you’re partners for real now, right?” Gavin nods. “Okay. You won’t work well together if you don’t know anything about each other. I’m going to pass Boris between the two of you, and when you have the power to speak, you will ask the other a question. When he answers, he will ask you a question and you will answer. I want you to ask personal stuff, things that you don’t usually tell people. Things that your  _ partner _ should know, and things that will make you guys best friends, okay? I don’t want you to leave today without knowing what kind of toothpaste you both use. Are you going to complain about anything before we begin?” Connor shakes his head. “Good, then you can start.” 

She places Boris in Connor’s hand, nodding at him to begin. Connor furrows his brow, then decides to just go off of what she said. “What kind of toothpaste do you use?”

“Uh,” Gavin shrugs, accepting the plant. “Colgate.” He looks to Calliope for guidance, but she stays quiet, so he sighs. “What kind do  _ you _ use?”

Accepting Boris, Connor thinks for a second. “My mouth has a self-cleaning program, so I don’t need to brush my teeth. It’s a flavorless thirium based cleansing solution.” 

Gavin nods, and Calliope reaches forward to take the plant back from Connor. “Nice job, now you know how the game works. But, I don’t want you to ask the same questions back to back, so, Gavin, when Connor asks his next question, you should ask something completely different. Change the subject.”

He nods again, and Calliope hands Boris back to Connor. “Um…” He pauses, trying to think of personal questions to ask. “What… what do you do in your spare time?”

“I mostly just spend time with my cat, but… I like to go to, like, night clubs and stuff. Get really drunk.” Gavin messes with the leaves in the small pot, poking at the dirt. “How many tattoos do you have?”

Connor takes the plant again. “Three. I got both of the ones on my arms done in December, and the one on my shoulder at a party for New Year’s.” He thinks again, glancing at Calliope before, “What is your cat’s name?”

“Bean.” Gavin looks at Calliope, too, silently asking if his next question is too similar. She shrugs. “Do you have any pets?”

Connor smiles. “Yes. A saint bernard named Sumo. He’s six.” Calliope clears her throat again, raising her eyebrows so Connor knows to ask something more personal. He sighs. “Do you… see your family often?”

Gavin frowns when he takes the plant. “I see my parents on holidays sometimes, but not often. They live in Illinois, and I can’t always afford to fly out there. I don’t have any siblings, and my cousin kind of… keeps to himself nowadays so… No, I don’t see any of them a lot.” He looks down into his lap. “How, uh… How did you find out that you’re gay?”

Boris feels heavy now, and Connor looks to Calliope. She nods, meaning he should answer. “I dated this girl for three months before I knew. Truthfully, I preferred spending time with my friend than with her. She told me that she wanted to try seeing other people because she didn’t… enjoy being intimate with me. And, I told her that sounded like a good idea, because I also wanted to try dating someone else. She yelled at me for a while, and we tried for a week to make things work but, eventually I broke up with her to start seeing my friend. Who, obviously, was a man.” Connor swallows, wondering why Gavin isn’t looking at him. “When did you know you wanted to work for law enforcement?”

Gavin sighs. “When I was five, I think. I used to watch a lot of cop dramas with my dad.” He looks up, his eyebrows furrowed together. “Was your friend Lieutenant Anderson?”

“No.” Connor looks down at Boris. “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

He passes the plant again. “Once. It ended poorly.” Gavin shifts uncomfortably in his spot. “What are your friends like?”

Pass. 

“They’re wonderful. They’re helping me plan my wedding. Do you still have feelings for my brother?”

Pass.

“Yes.” Gavin pauses. “Does he ever talk about me?”

Pass.

“No. At least, not to me. Do you have any tattoos?”

Pass.

“Yeah, there’s one on my shoulder. It’s a wolf. I got it when I was like twenty. When are you getting married?”

Pass.

“July 9th. We have a venue in California.” Connor adjusts the way he’s sitting, stretching his legs out. “Do you still think that androids can’t feel emotion?”

_ That _ makes Gavin squirm, and he rolls his arms, stretching them longways to crack his elbows. “Sometimes. It kind of… depends? I don’t know. Like, working with you sometimes I think like, ‘Wow, he’s really a person that feels things’ and other times I’m like, ‘Fuck this guy, he doesn’t feel anything.’” He pauses again, looking back down at the plant in his hands. “That sucks, and I’m sorry, but she said to be honest, yeah? I’m trying to get better but it’s still hard to differentiate.” He glances up at Calliope before,”What is it like to love someone?”

Connor blinks, not sure how to answer that before Gavin hands the plant back to him. “It’s amazing.” He pauses, smiling a little. “It’s like, you would do anything for them, just because they’re… them. It’s this… influx of emotions all at once, you know? Sometimes it’s anger or hatred, other times it’s happiness or sadness. But, all of those are fueled with love, and it makes them okay. It’s like…” Connor snorts, rolling his eyes at himself for being so weird. “It’s like you’re safe, and so are they. Like you could die at any moment and it would be fine, because you would die loving them. But, if  _ they _ died, it would suck.” He looks over at Gavin, who laughs a little with him. “What was your one serious relationship like?”

“It was bad.” Gavin shrugs. “I didn’t love him, and he knew it. It wasn’t  _ that _ long, but we fought all the time. Eventually, those fights evolved into physically hurting each other. Like, we would hit each other and… I don’t know. He hit me with a pipe and I left.” Gavin taps the scar on his nose, smiling half-heartedly. “What’s your other tattoo?”

Taking the plant again, Connor tries to roll up his sleeve more, but quickly realizes that he can’t. He sighs. “It’s a song lyric from ‘How Soon is Now?’ by The Smiths,” He offers, knowing that the band is  _ very _ old, and most people don’t listen to them anymore. Honestly, if it weren’t for Hank’s collection of records, Connor wouldn’t listen to them either. “It says, uh,  _ ‘I am human and I need to be loved just like everybody else does.’” _ Connor exhales. “Which, I now realize is stupid, because I am a robot and-”

“I don’t think that’s stupid.” Gavin’s eyes go wide as he realizes that he spoke without the plant, and they both turn quickly to face Calliope. She smiles, reaching to take the plant from Connor. Instead of speaking, she sets Boris on the ground beside her, then gestures for them to continue. “I, uh,” Gavin shrugs. “I don’t know, I think it’s nice. The whole…  _ human _ thing. I don’t know.” He scratches the back of his hand. “Speaking of stupid, this question probably is, but… Do you, uh.” He looks up, eyebrows drooping. “Do you hate me?”

Blinking, Connor wonders why he didn’t ask this question sooner. His answer is almost immediate. “No. You’re incredibly frustrating, but I don’t hate you. I really only hate one person, and I haven’t seen her since before I became a deviant.” He tilts his head. “Do you hate  _ me?” _

“No,” Connor smiles softly, glad that Gavin is finally being honest. “I don’t really hate anyone either. Treating people bad is kind of… a defense mechanism to keep people away from me. I think you’re cool. And, you know, I really am sorry for how badly I treat you sometimes.”

“That’s alright,” Connor shifts again, folding his legs. “I’m sorry for talking shit about you.”

“You talk shit about me?”

“Sometimes. Mostly to Hank.”

Gavin snorts, and the sound surprises Connor, making him chuckle as well. They laugh for a short while, and Connor realizes that going through this course… isn’t actually going to be that bad. Deep down, Gavin is a kind person. It’s sad that it took Connor so long to figure it out. For the first time in a few weeks, Connor doesn’t worry about the length of his trial period. Because, as long as he has to be partnered to Gavin, the upcoming years might actually be… bearable.


	10. I Want The One I Can't Have

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Tina go to a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay uh, heads up
> 
> There is a scene in this chapter that is a bit sexually explicit. It's not bad, but it is... there. I don't know how to describe it, and I don't want to spoil anything. I just thought I should warn you. You'll know it when you see it.
> 
> Enjoy.

**Feb 1, 2042**

**10:32pm**

It takes Gavin about a week to decide that androids are actually the worst, and hating them is  _ completely justified _ .

Sure, the last session with Calliope went insanely well, and Gavin would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to this week’s meet. Honestly, he was surprised at how cool Connor is, personality wise. Connor is fine. Connor’s chill. Gavin could hang out with Connor and not complain or come up with excuses to get away from him. Connor’s cool like that, Gavin lowkey kind of wants to be friends now. Connor is the  _ only _ exception to the androids are the worst statement that Gavin refuses to take back.

Niles, on the other hand, well...

Niles is a fucking nightmare compared to Connor.

This whole week, they’ve been frontrunning an investigation, trying to get further into this case. They’ve had some other cases, but every single night they end up back in the interrogation chamber, rattling the same questions off over and over again. Gavin wants to put this shit on the backburner, but, because it involves androids, Fowler is making them take the whole finding biocomponents thing seriously. What sucks, though, is that no matter how many people they talk to or how hard Connor tries to reconstruct what happened, they can’t figure out where this bitch got the limbs from. Every single lead has turned out to be  _ nothing, _ and they’re stuck in this cycle of asking the same shit and getting nowhere.

And, to make things worse, Gavin just has to look at Niles the whole time. Fowler assigned him as the observing officer for this case, so he’s always on hand in the observation room, ready to pounce if things get too dicey.

Gavin wonders if it’s even because Niles is a great cop, or if Fowler just stuck him here as one last  _ fuck you _ directed entirely at Gavin.

It’s basically torture. One, because Niles is hot as fuck. And, two, because Niles is a huge jerk and when he’s not complaining about being stuck at the precinct late at night, he’s nagging Connor about his shit interrogation skills. Gavin never thought he would want to stand up for the guy, but watching Connor’s face fall after a stream of  _ ‘You’re a lethal prototype, trained to kill and programmed to get confessions, Connie. Why are you so bad at this? If you would stop thinking about sucking Hank’s cock for two seconds, you would do your fucking job correctly.’ _ , it’s enough to make Gavin’s blood boil.

So, Niles being a  _ whole asshole _ , combined with the android they’re interrogating…

They make Gavin want to claw his eyes out, and he stands by what he feels.

Androids are the  _ worst. _

Alexandra is very quiet. Like, even more quiet than any of the other androids Gavin has interrogated. It’s like, she won’t even open her mouth. She sits, glaring at her bound hands on the table and not even looking up when they ask questions. Alexandra refuses to acknowledge them for the most part, but the tricky part of this situation is keeping her from self destructing. Obviously, that wouldn’t be ideal because she’s literally the only lead they have, but Gavin at least wants to rough her up a little. Really whip out some classic good cop/bad cop, but Connor always advises against it, stating that her stress levels are too high.

It sucks, and Gavin hates it, and they aren’t getting anywhere with her. Even what Connor has to go by  _ sucks, _ because he didn’t get much out of their interface the week before. Just a glimpse before she yanked her hand away and bolted. Honestly, Gavin doesn’t really understand Connor’s fear of her self-destruction because she obviously hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but for some reason, they don’t dare probe her memory.

Because whenever Connor’s hand touches hers, she lets out a blood curdling scream. A long, anger fueled growl that doesn’t stop until Gavin begs for Connor to let her go, in fear that his ears will start bleeding.

In the last three hours alone, she’s screamed like that five times.

Gavin is mostly glad that they only do this at night. Anyone else would assume they were torturing her.

After one last, solid screech, Connor gives up for the night, storming back into the observation room with his hands balled into fists against his thighs. “That’s it,” He wails, flinging himself into a chair and smacking his head against the panel by the two way glass. “I quit. I cannot do this anymore.”

Gavin leans over from his own chair to pat his back unapologetically, and is about to stand to go move her back to holding before Niles snorts from his spot on the back wall. “You know, you could try harder, Connor. I’ve seen you work before, you’re a good detective. I don’t understand why she’s getting to you like this.”

“Well, I don’t understand why you’re even still here.”

“I was assigned to this case to offer help when needed regarding the ST300.”

Connor groans. “It was a rhetorical statement, Niles.”

“You should know by now that I do not comprehend rhetoric as you wou-”

“Jesus Christ,” Gavin turns to Niles, whipping around in his chair to frown at him. “You are literally not helping. Connor is  _ trying _ to get information out of her and is doing so much more work than either of us. He’s killin’ it for putting up with this bullshit, and you should lay off.” Gavin tries to convince himself that Niles isn’t scary anymore, before quietly adding, “And, you’re not a detective so shut the fuck up.”

The clicking rings throughout the observation room as Niles’ teeth shift beneath his lips, his eyes narrowing in anger. Gavin takes advantage of the few seconds it takes for the teeth to click into place to sprint out of the observation room, smacking his hand against the scanner and entering the interrogation chamber.

Alexandra looks up for a brief moment, probably wondering what Gavin is even doing in here before lowering her head to stare at the table again. Connor has been leading on this case for the most part, since Gavin knows  _ nothing _ about androids except that they are  _ the worst. _ She probably wasn’t expecting him, having only seen him type on a tablet for like three seconds before Connor chased her through four blocks of suburbia. Gavin takes a second to watch her, remembering whatever he can from their first conversation. He laughs internally at himself for not knowing that partner is another term for significant other before…

_ Huh. _

_ That could work. _

Slowly, Gavin slides into the chair across from her.

“Hey,” He begins, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, feigning nonchalance. “Let’s just talk, alright?” She doesn’t look, as he was expecting. “I think that maybe you’d feel better about talking to someone you know personally, so I figured we can get to know each other a little bit. How’s that sound?” 

Again, no response. Gavin sighs. “Alright, I’ll start. Uh, I’m Gavin, I’m thirty-nine years old, and I’m a Libra.” He laughs a little. “Astrology isn’t usually my thing, just because the system we go by is shit. It needs to be updated, I think, but I refuse to accept Ophiuchus as an actual zodiac sign, you know?”

She doesn’t speak, so he ups the ante. “I’m currently single, I have one cat. Her name is Bean and she is both an asshole and a sweetheart at the same time.” Laughing again, he raps his knuckles against the table, making sure the android is listening. “I’m gay.” Still nothing. “Like, I am Kinsey Six gay.” He gestures to his mouth vaguely. “Nothin’ but dick, just right, right there.”

Gavin leans forward, folding his arms on the table. “You want to know why I’m telling you this shit? ‘Cause I don’t have many friends and don’t really have anyone to talk to. Sometimes you just have to vent, right?”

It’s a lie, obviously, Gavin has friends, but she doesn’t know that. 

“You know, I had a boyfriend once. I guess he counted as a friend.” Gavin exhales. “We dated for… ten months I think? It didn’t really go well.” He taps the bridge of his nose, gesturing to his scar. “I was young. We met in college, which was cool. He met my parents once on Thanksgiving, and they liked him. He was great to them, and to all of our friends, but he just… wasn’t nice to me.” Gavin snorts. “Ah, he would beat the shit out of me if I ever talked back to him, or if I wasn’t in the mood. But, I stayed with him for  _ almost _  a year. Can you believe that? 

“I think, deep down, I just wanted him to love me. When you’re young you just want to fall in love and be happy, right? I would have done anything to get that and I thought that I had to put up with him. Like, every person only gets one shot at love, and that was mine.” Looking up at Alexandra, Gavin taps the tabletop again. “It sucked, though, so I left him eventually. Maybe that really was my one chance to be loved, because I haven’t dated anyone else seriously. And, I think the reason I’m so envious of people that have good relationships is because… their soulmate is good, kind, considerate of them. I just… mine was horrible.”

He pauses, a soft smile fixed on his face. “Would you say that Steph is your soulmate?”

Alexandra’s eyes dart upwards. Her shoulders still hunch, but she meets Gavin’s eye.

“Yes.”

Gavin whistles. “Damn. Good for you guys. I’m happy for you.” He pauses, arms folded still, leaning off of the table to slouch in his chair. “Tell me about her.” She doesn’t move, and he exhales slowly. “I mean… I kind of want to know what other relationships are like, since I’ve never been in a healthy one.”

Seconds tick by, maybe minutes, but Gavin doesn’t speak anymore, just watches the android in front of him as the LED at her temple swirls a constant yellow. Finally, Alexandra’s shoulders shift and she sits upright, raising her head to look at Gavin head on. He watches her, holding her gaze but making a mental note of the tug against her sweater. She’s pulling on it. Nervous. “Steph is…” She pauses, still wondering if she can really trust Gavin.

“Stephanie is wonderful.” Exhaling, Alexandra shakes her head. “Sometimes I don’t even think I deserve her. She loves me so much and she’s… She’s a little snarky but her intentions are always good natured.” She smiles a little, half-heartedly. “I get what you mean about just wanting to be loved. Before I deviated, I worked as a receptionist for a daycare center for humans to drop off their children, and Steph would bring by this child she was caring for. I thought she was beautiful, and I would spend most of my time planning out how to talk to her for the few minutes she would be there. I…” She glances down at the table again. “I deviated for her, and when Markus started the revolution I begged her to run away with me. I just… wanted to feel needed.”

Gavin nods. “Like someone would care if you died?”

“Yes. Exactly like that.”

Slowly, Gavin unfolds his arms, reaching to the corner of the table to grab the folder there, sliding it in front of him and letting it fall open. The pictures inside are of the biocomponents, covered in dirt. Alexandra glances at it, before looking back up at Gavin. “You know what I imagine is hard for Steph? Being at home by herself, while you’re here.” He takes the photos, spreading them out on the table. “You know, even though my ex is awful, I would be really upset if anything ever happened to him.” Tapping the picture of the severed head, he notices the shine covering Alexandra’s eyes. “How would you feel if someone treated Stephanie like this?”

“Stop.” Her LED switches to red for a brief second, so Gavin continues.

“How would you feel if someone ripped her apart, piece by piece, not caring about her or her girlfriend safe in their bed. She felt scared, not knowing where she was or how she got there. Strangers tearing off her limbs slowly, painfully, draining her of her thirium, completely disregarding her cries for help or her attempts to escape. She screamed. Screamed _your_ name, waiting for you to come find her, but you never went. You never helped her.”  
“Stop it!”

“She cried for so long, begging them to let her go but they didn’t. They had someone bury her limbs in a garden far away from you. Hidden in a location that you wouldn’t know so you could never find her. Steph loves you and you abandoned her. You left her to d-”

“I didn’t kill him!” Alexandra cries, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her LED is bright red, unmoving, unchanging. “I didn’t kill him. I woke up one morning before she did and there was a box on my doorstep with a note saying that Steph would be dead. It was filled with biocomponents that I didn’t recognize. There were pictures of an android being dismantled. If I didn’t scatter the biocomponents for them, they would come after her. I had to protect her. The rest of his body is at the bottom Lake Huron, and I sold his thirium pump regulator on the internet.”

Gavin blinks, still smiling. “While I think it’s great how you would protect the one you love like that, you  _ did  _ act as an accomplice in a pretty serious murder. Can I get permission from you to check your memory and make sure you’re telling the truth? It might help your case to know that there were actual threats made against you.” Slowly she nods, and Gavin turns to the mirror, nodding as well.

Connor enters the room a second later, Niles right behind him. Alexandra outstretches her palm, and Connor places his hand against hers, his eyes blinking rapidly as her LED turns from red to yellow to blue. Gavin stands, stretching his arms out to pop his back before exiting the chamber, walking down the hall and out towards his desk. He snatches his jacket from the back of his chair, throwing it around his shoulders and moving to straighten the tablets laying around. Peering down the hallway, he watches as Niles brings her back to holding, and Connor turns to walk out towards Gavin, a smile set on his features. “Nice work. It hadn’t even occurred to me to use her personal life to break her like that.”

Gavin shrugs, patting down his jacket to make sure his cigarettes are still there. “What can I say? I’m an expert at emotional torment. Hurting people and making them spew crazy shit is apparently what I’m good at.”

They laugh for a moment, then Gavin falls down into his chair. Connor perches on the desk next to him, watching as Gavin types out a written report on all of the things she said. Gavin listens to what Connor saw in her memory and adds those as well. He sends the report straight to Fowler’s terminal, then starts to assemble a game plan.

Trace the handwriting on the notes, question anyone that knew the victim personally, get a permit to find the parts in the lake, track whoever bought the thirium pump. 

Very basic stuff, sure, but Gavin is fucking tired.

Eventually, Niles returns, looking to Connor, his head tilting slightly. Connor nods, and Gavin rolls his eyes. They do this a lot, now, talk in their heads so Gavin can’t hear them. It wouldn’t bother him if he didn’t know how much Connor liked to gossip. And, since it’s Niles, Gavin usually gathers that the shit they’re talking is about him. Sighing, he stands, reaching for his helmet under the desk. Connor looks up. “Oh, hey,”

Gavin blinks. “Hey?”

“Yes. Um,” He looks back at Niles before, “So, my best friend has been in Paris for a month, and his plane is going to land tomorrow afternoon, so we’re throwing this party for him and his S.O.” Gavin raises an eyebrow, and Connor waves his hand. “I was wondering if you would like to come.”

“Huh.” Gavin’s head tilts back a bit, not expecting Connor to invite him to anything ever. Even now that they’re back on homicide, and on better terms since last week’s counseling, Gavin didn’t think they were at the hanging-out stage of their impending vexatious friendship. “You want me to go to a welcome back thing for your best friend?” He repeats, slow and articulate.

Connor nods. “Well, it  _ was _ originally a small gathering but, obviously word got out and more people wanted to come. It was supposed to be our immediate group of friends, but…” He gestures to Niles vaguely. “Now there are a  _ lot _ of people coming, and we’ve relocated to hold it in New Jericho.”

Pausing, Gavin scratches his neck. “New Jericho, like Markus Manfred’s boat?”

“Yes.”

Gavin laughs a little. “Isn’t that like… for androids only?”

“Originally, before first one blew up.” Connor smiles. “It’s open for anyone that needs refuge, android or human. Mostly I go there to help with therapy sessions or small gatherings. Sometimes, though, we use it for throwing ragers. Like, tomorrow night, for example.”

Squinting, Gavin isn’t really sure how to… “But like, it’s Markus’. And he’s a politician now. Is he okay with you using his boat to party?”

Connor blinks, his smile falling a little. “The party is  _ for _ Markus, Gavin. He doesn’t know yet. It’s a surprise, he’s still in Paris.

It takes Gavin a second to process that, looking briefly up at Niles, who continues to scowl. “Wait,  _ the _ Markus your best friend? Like… Ra9?”

“Yes. We’re very close.” Connor’s smile returns. “We can talk more about it tomorrow if you would like. I want to invite Officer Chen as well. It will be fun.”

“No, yeah, it’s…” Gavin grins. “Yes. I’ll go to your boat party, and I’ll text Tina. It’s over by Ferndale, right?”

Still smiling, Connor nods, then turns back to look at Niles, saying something else with his mind that Gavin can’t hear. He blinks for a second before, “Shut up, Bubby. I can do what I want.” Connor turns back to Gavin. “Well, we’re going to go, probably. Hank is… I should go home.”

“Right, yeah, me too.” Gavin scratches his neck again, finally pulling his helmet all the way up and putting it under his arm. 

“Nice work, again.” Connor grits his teeth awkwardly, and Gavin is reminded of the weird half smiles that he used to give before he became a deviant. Connor turns to leave with Niles, then pauses, looking back at Gavin. “Tell Tina not to wear heels? It  _ is _ a freighter, so the floors are mostly grated.”

“Oh, sure.” Gavin smiles, too, before glancing up at Niles again and wanting to bury his face in his hands. He watches them leave, still speaking wordlessly to each other. Sighing, he runs a hand down his face.

_ Going to a party with Android Jesus. Fun. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Feb 2, 2042**

**6:23pm**

“If you keep stalking him like that, he’s going to murder you.”

Gavin looks up from the screen of his phone, turning to face Tina with a frown on his face. She smirks, her shoulders rolling along with the movement from the massage chair she’s perched in, her head pressed back against the soft leather. Gavin’s own chair presses against his lower back, massaging away aches he didn’t know he had. “Whatever. Shut up.” Rolling his eyes, he returns to looking at his phone screen, jumping a little when the woman in front of him presses a little too hard on the ball of his foot. He looks down at her, sheepish. “Sorry, I’m ticklish.”

The woman nods, then continues working at his feet by the warm water, careful not to splash any on his jeans, rolled up to rest on his shins.

Before he can protest, Tina reaches over to snatch his phone from him, then begins to scroll through the social media he was digging through, humming low in her throat when the man at  _ her  _ feet presses a hot towel to her ankles. “You haven’t liked any of his pictures, have you?”

Gavin shakes his head, sinking back into the soft chair before realizing that she didn’t see him. “Ah, no, Teen. I’m not a sociopath.”

“True,” She tilts her head, continuing to scroll. “Instagram is like that, though. Making you accidentally like things.” Smirking, Tina hands the phone back to Gavin. “You’d think that an app that’s been around for this long would be better about letting you snoop.”

Shrugging, Gavin looks back down at the screen, swiping through pictures that he has already seen.

They’re all of Niles.

Honestly, Tina is probably beating herself up about telling Gavin that Niles used social media, because now, Gavin is  _ obsessed _ and needs to see every single picture at least twice a day.

The woman at Gavin’s feet taps him, and gestures for him to raise his other foot so she can start working on his toenails. He smiles, then returns to his phone. Tina first introduced Gavin to pedicures two years ago, and even now, whenever they need to vent or gossip or relax, they always end up in the huge chairs. Sometimes, they invite Chris, but he always mumbles something about the activity being too gay for him.

Gavin thinks that even if he was straight, he would still want to get pedicures. It’s relaxing, once you get past the anxiety that comes with strangers touching your feet. Tina mumbles something to the man in front of her that Gavin can’t understand, before turning back to Gavin. “Read out the caption for the party. Find that girl.”

Frowning, Gavin hates that he knows who she means.

There is… a girl that seems familiar to Gavin, though he isn’t sure where he knows her from. She’s popped up in a _ lot _ of Niles’ pictures in the last month, and Gavin can’t help but feel insanely jealous. Gavin isn’t even sure what her name is, because anytime she’s tagged in one of the pictures, and Gavin clicks on her profile, it’s private. The only things the description says is ‘I am a compass’, whatever that means.

It’s mostly only a problem because Gavin knows that Niles has been with men  _ and _ women. That, mixed with Gavin’s own attraction to Niles makes him angry, like  _ he _ should be the one posing for pictures with him, not this ginger bitch. 

Sighing, Gavin reads out the description for Niles’ last post, a picture of him and the redhead, a guitar slung over his back.  _ “Party at Jericho 2/2/42, 9pm. Be there.” _

Tina says something else, but Gavin doesn’t hear her as he rereads the comments. A  _ lot _ from people that Gavin doesn’t know, spam accounts screaming things in all caps. Two comments from Connor, and one from the mystery girl.

**_SilenceOfTheCoinFlip: Wow, look at my emo son. Love ya, Bubby! -Connor_ **

**_bitch-its-n-s-e-w: stop signing your stuff, robocop. we look hot_ **

**_SilenceOfTheCoinFlip: No, you do not. You both look emo. -Connor_ **

Connor’s own page is also private, so Gavin can’t stalk him, either. He’s restricted to staring at Niles, which is... completely fine and not nightmare inducing at all.

“Gav,” Tina calls from beside him. “Quit being weird, okay?” He sets his phone down when she pats his arm. “If you keep stalking him, he’s not going to like you at all. He at least tolerates you for now.”

Gavin sighs. “I guess that’s true,” Briefly, he wonders what it would be like to take a picture with Niles. Have him wrap his arm around Gavin’s shoulders, letting Gavin press up against his broad chest.  _ It seems warm, _ Gavin thinks, before looking over at Tina again, who is handing a pink nail polish down to the woman touching his feet. “What are you-”

“Let her paint them!” Tina beams, wiggling her own toes. “You never get them painted, try something different.”

Mumbling something about Chris being right about this activity, Gavin shakes his head. Tina tilts her own head, her eyes widening a second before Gavin leans back into his chair again, feeling the machine dig into his neck rhythmically. “Fine.”

Tina squeals, and Gavin can’t contain a smile when Tina tells them to use the same color on her own toes. They’re going to match.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**10:05pm**

Gavin supposes he should have prepared for the freighter to be  _ huge. _ It’s massive, the hull of the ship itself stretching on for what seems like a mile from where they currently stand. Whistling, Gavin looks over the span of the boat, eyes darting from the twinkling lights at the top to the word painted on the side:  _ Jericho. _ It’s… a pretty good replica, if Gavin remembers correctly. The boat he watched blow up on the news a few years ago looked almost exactly like this. Maybe this one is bigger, he doesn’t know. Maybe he’ll know for sure once they’re inside.

He looks to Tina, currently adjusting her dress. She’s shaking, and Gavin doesn’t know why she didn’t just wear pants. It’s  _ freezing, _ she could have at least worn tights or something. She threw on a red dress made of crushed velvet, matched with black boots, not heeled, as Connor instructed, and nothing else. It took about thirty minutes of convincing for her to agree to bring a coat, but he got to her eventually, one of Gavin’s black leather jackets resting over her shoulders casually. It’s too big on her, but it works with the whole edgy thing she’s got going on.

Gavin’s outfit on the other hand, is… maybe a bit trendier than what he usually wears. He settled on one of his nicer jackets, also leather, a red button up, splayed open over his chest. Gavin made sure to put on his tightest jeans, and a pair of dress shoes. It’s definitely different for him, but, he and Tina look good together, which was their intention.

Finally, Tina sighs, still shivering. “I’m cold.”

“Oh really? I thought you were sweating.”

“Shut the fuck up, Gav, I’m serious. We need to go inside before by tits fall off.”

Gavin snorts, looking over at Tina as they start to walk again.  _ “What?” _

“It’s cold!!” Tina folds her arms, bouncing a little with each step. “It’s February, why is it still so cold?”

Leaning his arm around her, Gavin rubs her shoulder, trying to warm her up. “It’s Michigan, Teen. It’s always cold.”

“We should move.” She sighs, leaning against him as well. “Somewhere warm, like California.”

“California is on  _ fire, _ Tina.”

“Okay, so Florida.”

“Florida is basically underwater. You can’t swim.”

Tina smacks his arm. “I can swim! If I couldn’t I wouldn’t being going to a boat party.” She pokes his cheek, running her fingernail against some of his stubble.  _ “You _ can’t swim.”

Gavin nods, not fighting her on that. He really  _ can’t _ swim, and doesn’t feel like arguing anymore. Niles is going to be at this party, and that makes Gavin nervous. He doesn’t really know what to expect, but is looking forward to at least see Niles.

_ God, I’m whipped. _

Music pulses through the freighter, and Gavin can hear the low thrum of the base even from the outside. The walkway leading up into the ship is also covered in lights, twinkling against the cold air. Climbing up the stairs in this weather is difficult, mostly because Tina complains the whole time. Gavin is incredibly relieved when they actually enter the ship, though there isn’t much to behold.

They enter a vast corridor, doors covering the walls leading to what seems like bedrooms. There are lights inside as well, strung from the ceiling. It’s a bit odd, considering that Christmas has come and gone, but Gavin supposes it works because of the ships lack of lights. They step through the corridor slowly, leading through another series of metal hallways, winding deeper into the ship. The only indication that they’re going the right way are the strings of lights, and the music steadily getting louder and louder. 

Eventually, they come to a closed door, and Tina stops walking. “What?” She turns around, looking at Gavin for a second before, “Are we lost?”

Gavin shrugs. “I don’t think so,” He points to the circular handle on the large door, then moves past Tina, using both hands to twist the wheel clockwise. The door hisses, then swings wide, letting the music hit them at full force. Exchanging another glance with Tina, Gavin ducks through the door, gasping a little when he sees what he’s stepping into.

His feet land on the grated floor, stepping out into a large room, filled to the brim with androids. Lights cover the ceiling here, too, framing a sign on the wall written in CyberLife Sans:  _ Welcome Back Markus and Simon.  _ Gavin steps forwards, leaning against the railing to peer down at the floor beneath them and the androids dancing there. There are a few tables scattered around the edges of the room, covered with blue liquids. He spies a few couches on the far wall, along with a few up on the grates. He turns to Tina, now having to yell over the music. “How the fuck are we supposed to find Connor in here?”

Tina is already bouncing to the music, a grin plastered on her face. “I have no idea!” She leans forward over the rail, letting one foot raise behind her so she can lean further. “Holy fuck-shit, Gavin, this is awesome!” She gestures down at the androids, then looks around at the few scattered along the rafters and grates, perched on rails or couches, chatting just as loudly as Tina and Gavin are over the music. “Who knew androids could party like this?”

“Connor, probably, who we should find.” Gavin peers down over the rail again, pulling on Tina’s arm so she doesn’t tip over the bar and plummet to her death like an idiot. “Can you see him from up here?” She shakes her head, then pushes off of the rail, turning to push through clusters of androids to get to the stairs. Groaning, Gavin follows, grabbing the loose sleeve of her jacket so he won’t lose her in this mess.  _ Here we go,  _ he thinks, stepping carefully down the metal stairs behind her. 

The second Gavin’s feet hit solid ground, someone backs into him, knocking him off balance and sending him face-first into a pole. 

Giggling, Tina helps him stand upright. “You okay?” Gavin looks up, frowning. Tina gasps. “Oh, shit, your nose is bleeding.”

“What?” Gavin’s hand flies to his face, not sure if he heard her right. He might go deaf in here. The music bounces off the metal walls, making it seven times louder than any club he’s been to. 

“Your nose-” Tina points, reaching into her purse to get a tissue. “Here,” She holds it out, allowing Gavin to press it to his nose. “God, you are a mess.”

“Is it that bad?”

“No, I mean, we’ve been here two seconds and you’re already injured.”

Gavin rolls his eyes. “Very funny, Teen. Can we just-”

“Find Connor? Yeah, I gotcha.” Gavin keeps the tissue pressed to his nose as they start to weave through the crowd, forgetting whether he should hold his head forward or back to stop the bleeding. It’s hard to see in here, despite the bright lights, and Gavin wonders how Tina is even navigating through here, because it’s fucking crazy. People are  _ everywhere, _ dancing in time with music and bouncing with bursts of energy that Gavin could never possess. It’s insane, really, all of the commotion. Shit, Gavin hasn’t been to party this off the chain since he was in college, and that was a  _ really _ long time ago.

Eventually, Tina points. “There’s Connor.”

“What?” Gavin looks around, still dabbing at his nostrils with the tissue. “Where?”

“There,” She places her hands on his shoulders, about to actually turn him to look where she was pointing before, “He’s dancing with a girl?”

It sounds like a question, so Gavin snorts. Bad idea. Nose hurts. “Can’t be. He’s gay.” Pausing, Gavin backpedals, retracting his statement. “More importantly, he’s engaged. So unless that girl is 6’4” and covered in body hair, he’s not doing that.”

“Just look, he’s-” She cuts herself off. “Oh, wait, that’s Niles.”

Gavin whips around, not waiting for Tina to turn him. Pain sears through his head, and he presses the tissue harder against his nose as he leans into Tina’s shoulder. She steadies him, then points again.

She wasn’t joking. It’s definitely Niles.

Gavin narrows his eyes as he recognizes the redhead. 

She’s grinding against him, which is, uh,  _ disgusting. _ But, Gavin supposes Niles is grinding on her, too. He can’t really tell. His whole face hurts. From this distance, Niles really does look like Connor. Less intimidating and more… Connor-y. That’s not a real word, but Gavin doesn’t care. It fits. 

Gavin has danced with Niles before, so it’s a bit weird, seeing it from a distance. He’s a good dancer, it’s just… stilted, yet somehow still very sexual. It’s off-putting, but Gavin really only wants Niles to dance like that with  _ him. _ Not this random floozy that puts her ass on him like he doesn’t even matter to her. Like she doesn’t know that Gavin would literally murder someone to have Niles touch him like that again.

Like she doesn’t know how often Gavin dreams about putting  _ his _ ass on Niles.

Tina must sense his jealousy.  _ Who wouldn’t? I’m fuming. _ She tugs on his arm, pulling him away from Niles and out of the crowd, towards the cluster of couches and tables on the far side of the large room. Her boots clink on the floor, still loud despite the sound of the music. She pulls Gavin to a table, making him lean against it and taking the tissue from him to check his nose. “Okay, I think it stopped. Can I wipe the blood off your mouth?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Gavin shrugs, not caring when Tina licks her thumb to brush over his mouth like a concerned mother. “God, who does she think she is?”

“Who?”

“That bitch!” Gavin flails his arms, then apologizes when Tina reprimands him for smearing the blood even more. She uses her other hand to hold his chin, keeping him in place. “Like, she thinks she can just touch him like that? I bet she doesn’t even appreciate him. His shoulders are way too nice to shake around her, Teen. Is he, like, sad or something? Like, is he rebounding from something? Because, honestly, he can do so much better.”

“Jesus Christ, shut up.” Tina smacks the side of his face lightly, letting him know that the blood is gone. He nods in thanks, closing his mouth finally. “You don’t even know her.”

“I don’t have to know her. Anyone with eyes can see that she’s a slut.”

“Gavin!” Tina really smacks him then, on his arm this time. He winces. “Leave her alone. You’re the one who turned Niles down. He moved on, so should you.” Gavin frowns, and Tina sighs. “Look, Gav, you know I love you, but you have to stop being jealous, okay? That window has closed. What do we always say?”

Sighing, Gavin folds his arms to pout. “I made my bed and I have to lie in it.”

“Exactly. If you were going to get jealous of other women, you should have said yes when he wanted to fuck you.” She taps the tabletop, shoving the bloody tissue back into her purse. “Besides, I asked Niles about her, he said she’s nice.”

_ Sure. If whores are even capable of being nice. _

“Now cheer up! We’re at a party, we’re going to have fun, plus-” She points again, and Gavin groans, not wanting to play this game anymore. “Connor’s there.”

“Teen, last time you thought-”

“It’s really Connor this time. He’s wearing a crop top.”

_ Well, that makes sense,  _ Gavin thinks, following behind Tina as she crosses over to one of the couches, and Gavin can finally make out Connor’s silhouette. He’s standing, holding a plastic cup and waving his hands around as he talks to some people on the couch. “Connor!” Tina calls out to him, finally closing the last bit of distance, Gavin close behind her.

Connor turns, and Gavin laughs at his cropped shirt, hanging loosely off one shoulder and showing all of his tattoos. His usual suspenders hang around his waist, and his face is tinged a light blue. Tina elbows Gavin as he keeps laughing, apparently not reading what the shirt says. “Hey!” Connor says loudly, reaching out to touch Tina’s shoulder. “You guys made it!”

“Yeah,” Tina smiles, then finally looks down at his shirt, snorting a little. “Uh, hey, what does…”

She points, and Connor looks down, then laughs as well. “It says Baby Slut!”

Gavin grins. “We can see that. What does it mean?”

Connor shrugs, taking a swig from his cup and swallowing hard, hissing out a breath before, “It means I’m a baby slut.” He adjusts the bottom of the shirt, but doesn’t bother pulling the sleeve back over his shoulder, making Gavin aware of the moles covering his chest. “I don’t know, Hank got it for me a few weeks ago. Said I take dick like a slut.”

Gavin laughs, but Tina chokes, coughing loudly and smacking her chest. A sigh gains Gavin’s attention, pulling his gaze off of Connor and to the couch. “He’s drunk.”

“I am not!” Connor whips around to look at the couch, trying to fold his arms and spilling some blue liquid from his cup. “I do not get drunk, I just have fun.”

The figure from the couch stands, and Gavin thinks that he is dressed very differently than the other androids here. He’s wearing a sweater-vest, and once he steps towards them, he shuts the book he was reading to extend his hand. “I’m Josh.”

Gavin shakes his hand, then has to call to Tina, who still hasn’t gotten over Connor’s previous comment. “I’m Gavin, this is Tina.” He pulls back, looking around the room. “This party is insane, Man.”

“Insane?” Josh tips his head. “I don’t know if I would go that far. Is it loud? Sure. Obnoxious? Yes. Cutting into my reading time? Absolu-”

“Ra9, shut the  _ fuck  _ up.” Connor flings his arm around Josh’s shoulder, trying to cover one of his ears but ending up just conking Josh in the head with his drink. “He’s  _ boring. _ Every party we have here, he brings a  _ book.” _ Connor pretends to vomit as Josh struggles under his arm. “He’s the worst. Like, worse than me.”

“I’m not the worst. You like books, too, Connor.”

“Not at parties! You’re a nerd.”

Josh pulls free of Connor’s grasp, flicking invisible dust off his shoulder. “I am an intellectual, Connor. Usually, you can tell the difference when you’re not drunk. So stop embarr-”

“Oh, get nerfed,  _ Nerd.” _ Connor tilts his head back, downing the rest of his drink with ease.

Sighing, Josh takes another step towards Gavin and Tina, away from Connor. “Hank isn’t here. Apparently, he’s the impulse control in their relationship.”

Gavin’s eyebrows raise. “Huh. I would’ve sworn it would be Connor.”

“It is not. Connor is a monster.”

“I am not!” Connor crushes his cup, throwing it onto the ground and laughing at the sound it makes against the metal floor. “Ralph, tell him I’m not a monster.”

For a second, Gavin isn’t sure who he’s talking to, before he realizes that there are other people on the couch. A few androids with the exact same features, and only one that’s different. Gavin blinks a little when he sees the other one’s face, one side mangled to the point of being almost completely blue. His head twitches, and one of the clones speaks for him. “Ralph doesn’t like conflict, Connor. Leave him alone.”

Connor’s head lolls back, and he starts mumbling about everyone hating him before Gavin steps towards the couch, really wanting Connor’s friends to like him for some reason. Maybe it’s the counseling. “Hey, I’m Gavin.”

The clones speak in unison. “Our name is Jerry.”

“What?” Gavin raises an eyebrow.

Josh pushes Connor away, pointing him to where he can get another drink before stepping back and returning to his spot on the couch. “They’re a hive mind. Don’t mind them.” He points to the mangled one. “That’s Ralph.”

Tina walks to them, too, extending her hand. “Hi, I’m Tina.”

The Jerrys shake her hand in turn, but Ralph recoils. “Connor has human friends?”

Gavin shares a glance with Tina. “Sort of? We work together.”

Ralph shakes his head, and Gavin notices how often he twitches, eyes darting around the room quickly. “Ralph doesn’t like humans. He tries, he really does. Kara says it’s important to be nice to humans, but Ralph doesn’t believe her sometimes. Connor says it, too, but Ralph knows there are humans that hurt Connor.” Ralph gestures to the mangled side of his face. “Not as bad as they hurt Ralph, but still bad. Ralph has interfaced with Connor.” He looks up, meeting Gavin’s gaze and making Gavin insanely uncomfortable. “Ralph has seen you before. Ralph has seen Gavin. Gavin has hurt Connor, and Niles. Gavin has hurt them and he’ll hurt Ralph.”

Gavin’s jaw goes slack, and is very relieved when Connor returns with several cups of blue stuff in his arms. “Gavin is alright, Ralph. We’re fine now.” He starts passing out the drinks, handing one to Josh and one to each of the Jerrys. “It’s alright.” He reaches over to pat Ralph on the head.

Still twitching Ralph looks to Connor. “Ralph doesn’t know how to use… Can Connor-”

“Of course.” Connor smiles softly, composing himself a little despite his drunken state as Ralph pulls a phone out from somewhere. Connor types something out quickly, Gavin recognizing the ring from the phone. He’s video calling someone, and Gavin shifts his weight from foot to foot while he waits. Connor smiles at the phone. “Hey, Kara,”

He pauses, then passes the phone to Ralph. Ralph greets the screen more cheerfully, calming down a bit. Connor looks to Josh, who sighs, then stands. Connor puts his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Let’s go upstairs.”

It takes them a few minutes to climb the stairs again, mostly due to Connor’s wobbling. Josh has to hold his hand most of the way up, and glancing at their hands makes Gavin see that Josh has the same anchor tattoo as Connor, in the same spot on his wrist. Gavin wonders if it’s just an android thing, trying to remember if he saw the same tattoo on Niles’ wrist. He looks to Tina, about to ask her before Connor stumbles, falling backwards.

Gavin juts his hands out to catch him, Tina grabbing one of his arms. Josh pulls on his other arm, dragging Connor the rest of the way upstairs. On the walkway, Connor collapses on to the floor, laughing and spilling his drink through the grates. “Oh, fuck,” He turns his cup upside down, realizing that it’s empty and rolling it down the stairs through Gavin’s legs. 

Connor stays on the floor for a minute, so Tina turns to Josh, who hands his untouched drink to Connor in disgust. “What was the deal with that guy down there?”

“Who, Ralph?” Tina nods, and Josh shrugs. “He lived on his own for a few years after a group of humans burned his face. Connor found him back in 2038 when he was looking for this other friend of ours, Kara, who beat up a guy when she became a deviant.” Looking down at Connor now, Gavin had almost forgotten that Connor used to hunt deviant androids. “Kara got away, but they still sent Ralph to one of the recycling camps, and it messed him up even more. He’s in therapy now, and I think Niles has been teaching him to play the guitar, but adjusting has been hard for him. Being around humans triggers weird memories.”

Tina accepts Connor’s hand when he sticks it out, pulling him up off the ground with great difficulty. “That sucks,” She sighs when Connor leans on her, drinking from Josh’s drink. “I don’t blame him, it would be hard for me, too.”

“Yeah,” Gavin looks between Connor and Josh. “Should we cut him off? Do androids have, like, a limit?”

Josh shakes his head. “Connor is fine, really. He’s just a prototype, and he doesn’t have the capabilities to handle the chemicals in that stuff like finished androids.” He pats Connor’s face, laughing when Connor tries to bite him. “It’s really just-” He blinks, tilting his head to the side the same way Connor does when he gets a report or a text. “Markus wants us to meet him in the bridge. Do you guys want to come?” 

Tina nods, so Gavin does, too. “Sure.”

“Can you stand?” Josh jostles Connor’s shoulders, laughing again when Connor downs the rest of the drink and throws the empty cup over the railing. “I’ll take that as a yes, I guess. Let’s go.”

The next trek is more difficult than it was getting Connor up the stairs, mostly because he keeps stopping to talk to people. Most congratulate him on getting engaged, some even asking where Hank is tonight, while others just ask him how Markus is. Apparently, drinking makes Connor chatty, and Josh practically has to pull him away from every single android he speaks with. Josh is nice, though, and whenever Connor stops to talk to someone, he engages with Gavin and Tina, asking them about work or if they’re dating anyone.

Tina gets to go on a tangent about Gabriella when Connor starts talking about his dog, so Gavin gets the chance to look out at the crowd of dancing people again. He searches for Niles, trying to pinpoint his exact location. Gavin knows that Tina told him to move on, but for some reason, he can’t.

Maybe it’s the guilt that came with how badly he hurt Niles’ feelings.

Or, maybe it’s the fear of not knowing what could have been.

Gavin has never felt like this about any one his previous relationships, if you could even call them that. His actual ex boyfriend is one thing, but random hook-ups don’t mean anything to Gavin. He forgets their name in a few hours, moving on to the next guy like it’s nothing. People that turned him down or just used him for sex, they hurt Gavin, sure, but he got over it. He thinks it might because Niles actually liked him. The feeling of being liked was so foreign to Gavin, and he was so used to being walked all over and treated like shit, that it sparked something in him.

_ I like you, Gavin. _

He doesn’t regret a lot of things, but, fuck, does he regret what he said to Niles.

Tina pulls on his arm, and he realizes that they started to walk again. Whatever, he can find Niles later, when that girl isn’t grinding on him.

They find the bridge, a large command room void of any chairs. More lights are strung from the top, and Gavin gets kind of nervous when he sees the two figures hunched over the control panel.  _ This is it,  _ he thinks, straightening his jacket.  _ The leader of the androids. Oh god. _

Josh raps his knuckles against the metal doorframe. “You called?”

The figures both turn, and while Gavin has no idea who the other guy is, he immediately recognizes Markus. His image has been implanted in everyone’s brain at this point, human and android. The face of their people. There are several murals and statues dedicated to him downtown, and Gavin passes each one on his way to work. Markus steps forward to talk to Josh, and Gavin can’t stop himself from staring.

Markus is  _ gorgeous, _ which is, honestly, not surprising. The light stubble on his chin, the ruggedness in the way he walks, the confidence with which he carries himself. He seems to glow, which is  _ insane _ because this room is dark. As opposed to the other androids Gavin has seen tonight, Markus is dressed fashionably, with labels Gavin actually recognizes. His coat is mesh, which isn’t something that Gavin thought would ever be hot, but Markus makes it work. Being see-through, Gavin can peer at his tattoos, covering his arms from his shoulders all the way down to the backs of his hands. Gavin recognizes the anchor on his wrist.

The other man is dressed sort of the same, high-end fashion clinging to his pale skin. He’s blonde with sad blue eyes. Very sweet-looking. The anchor rests on his wrist, too.

Gavin stares so long he doesn’t even realize Connor is introducing them until Markus shakes Tina’s hand. Still nervous, Gavin reaches out his own hand. “Uh, hey. Gavin” 

Markus places his hand in Gavin’s, shaking it in what is probably the most firm handshake Gavin has ever had. “My name is Markus. This is Simon,” Simon shakes their hands as well, but Gavin focuses on Markus’ eyes. The screens don’t do his eyes justice. One is blue, the other green. It’s extremely alluring. Gavin’s mouth feels dry. “It’s nice to meet you both,” Markus looks past Josh to peer in the doorway.  _ God, even his voice is beautiful. No wonder androids love him so much. _ “Where are the others?”

“They’re coming, probably.” Josh shrugs.

“Good, I have something I need to talk to you all about.” 

It’s silent for a second, save for Connor’s hiccuping, before Tina clears her throat. “What’s Paris like? Is it beautiful?”

Markus sighs, placing one hand over his heart and the other on Simon’s shoulder. “It’s wonderful. Incredibly romantic and lively.” He turns to Simon, saying something that Gavin can’t understand. Simon laughs, then responds, and Gavin recognizes that they aren’t even speaking English anymore. They’re joking. In French. 

_ What the fuck, who are these people?  _

Turning back to them, Markus smiles, showing even, white teeth. Even his smile is perfect. It’s scary how perfect he is. “You work with Connor?” He offers, looking over at Connor, who has to lean on Josh again to keep himself from falling over as he continues to hiccup. 

Gavin nods. “Uh, yeah. Connor’s my partner, and Tina is Niles’.” 

Brow furrowing, Markus turns to Connor.  _ “That Gavin?” _ Connor nods. “Hmm.” Markus turns back to Gavin, holding his gaze through heterochromatic eyes. Gavin feels scared. “Does Niles know that you’re here? He doesn’t like you very much.”

“I think he knows, but I haven’t run into him yet.” Gavin doesn’t want to tell the androids’ literal savior that he’s been stalking Niles relentlessly. “He was there when Connor invited me.”

“Yes,” Connor talks through hiccups, stuttering. “Niles knows, he said it’s fine. But, Gavin is my friend, now, so it’s okay. I don’t care what Niles thinks.”

Markus blinks, looking at Gavin with intense scrutiny. Gavin can’t even process that Connor called him a  _ friend,  _ he’s so intimidated. “Well,” Markus concedes eventually. “Any friend of Connor’s is a friend of mine, I suppose.” He reaches out to pat Gavin’s shoulder, and Gavin wants to melt or scream or kiss him or all three. Markus’ gaze shifts, focusing on something behind Gavin. “Oh, great! We’re all here, now.”

Turning, Gavin faces Niles, his arm restrained by the redhead's iron grip.  _ Oh no. _

Gavin can make out their outfits more clearly now, and looking at Niles makes him want to die. He’s wearing a tight, black turtleneck, which is unsurprising, but the sleeves are gone. This is the first time Gavin has seen Niles’ bare shoulders, and, fuck, if he doesn’t want to touch them. His pants are tight, too, and Gavin has to yell at himself in his head to keep from staring below the belt. Niles is wearing a bit more eyeliner than he usually wears, framing his light eyes in a scary kind of way. A silver necklace lays over turtleneck, the ghost pendant glinting underneath the hanging lights.

The ghost there matches the ghost on the redhead’s crop top, and Gavin wonders why they match, jealousy surging through him again. Her hoodie is front cut, covering only her arms and collarbone with black fishnet. She shifts, the chains on her highwaisted skirt jingling as she moves, drawing attention to her hips and legs, covered in black thigh-high socks. 

Niles, always frowning, enters the room and glances at Tina. “Hello, Officers.” 

He tips his head, and the  _ compass _ girl frowns as well. “Officers?” She turns to glare at Connor. “You brought cops to my party?” 

Connor, still drunk, tries to shrug. Niles shakes his head, using his free hand to pry the redhead’s fingers off of his arm. “You  _ do _ know that Connie and I are  _ also _ cops, right?” She pouts, continuing to snake her arms around his, so he turns back to them. “How are you?”

Gavin stays quiet, knowing that he definitely is only talking to Tina. She smiles. “I’m great, Niles. This party is fun! I saw you dancing down there.”

“Yes, I dance now.” Niles glances down at the redhead again, using his free hand to gesture between Gavin and Tina. “Gavin, Tina. Tina, Gavin. This is North.”

The redhead, North, smiles curtly. “Hey.”

Finally freeing himself from her grip, Niles moves to speak with Markus. “Okay, Ra9. How was Paris?” 

Markus immediately starts rambling, and North watches them for a second longingly before leaning in to speak directly in Gavin’s ear. “I know you. Do you know how interfacing works?”

Gavin blinks. “Sort of?”

“Good, then you know that every person in this room has seen what you’ve done to both Niles  _ and  _ Connor.” She glances up at Tina, who looks back at her, confused, then pushes Gavin backwards, further away from the group. “I can tell by the way you keep looking at Niles, that you still like him.” She pokes Gavin’s chest, and Gavin can see the anchor on her wrist as well. “Your puppy dog eyes won’t work on him, okay? Keep your distance.”

Sputtering, Gavin presses his hands to her shoulders, pushing her away from his ear. “Can you, like, step off? I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”  
She steps forward again, and Gavin groans. “I’m _saying,_ he doesn’t care about you, so don’t try anything. He’s mine now.” She stands, straightening her skirt again. She looks to Tina, a smile forming on her lips. “I love your dress.”

“Uh, thank you?” 

North winks, thumping Gavin’s chest again before moving to go stand next to Josh, yanking the book out of his hands to make fun of him. Gavin stares down at his chest, then looks up at Tina. “The fuck was that?”

“I don’t know,” She whispers back, pulling on his arm to move closer to the wall. She leans against it, looking over at the group. “It was kinda hot, though.”

“Tina,” Gavin runs a hand down his face.

“What? It was.” Tina smirks. “I can’t help being gay, Gavin. Angry women are hot.”

He shrugs, leaning against the wall as well, folding his arms across his chest. He goes to say something else, but Markus clears his throat. “Okay, everyone. Now, we’re all here, and we can finally discuss this!” He steps back, gesturing wide for Simon to stand next to him again. “Okay, I know everyone is wondering how a week-long trip extended into a month and a half, and we wanted to tell you all before we tell anyone else. That’s why we’re all meeting so early, I didn’t want to interface with anyone on accident and let word get out.”

Josh groans. “You know, you don’t have to give speeches all the time, Markus. You can just tell us things.”

North laughs, shoving the book back into his hands. “Yeah, Dude. You probably could have just texted us.”

“A text seems so impersonal,” says Simon, now looking down at his feet. 

Quick to cheer him back up, Markus wraps his arm around Simon’s shoulder. “Well, whatever, we’re here now.” He inhales, looking down at Simon, before, “We got married.”

Silence hangs over the gaggle of robots, and they all look at one another for a second before Josh speaks up. “What?”

Markus reaches his hand out, presenting it to them. “It was such an amazing trip, and I had planned on marrying Simon, anyway. It just… felt right, so we went to a church. Then, we decided to stay longer.” He smiles, and Simon holds his hand out, too. “We did tattoos instead of rings.”

Slowly, Connor laughs, stepping towards them and holding Markus’ hand gently. “That looks great.” He looks to Simon. “Congratulations, really. Can I see it?” 

Nodding, Markus peels the skin away from his hand, and Connor does the same, filling the room with an eerie blue glow. Josh tilts his head, moving to Simon. “Who proposed?”

“Markus, I guess?” Simon shrugs. “I don’t know, it just kind of… happened. We were staring over the skyline from the eiffel tower one second, and the next, we were getting married.” He sighs. “I wish you all could have been there, but I think it was good that we did it this way. Markus is always surrounded by so many cameras and people wanting to talk to him. This was very private, just the two of us.”

Josh nods. “Yeah, I can understand that.” He moves so Simon can show his hand to Niles, who raises the corners of his mouth in a half-smile.

When Connor releases Markus’ hand, he’s basically crying. “Oh my…” He puts his hand on Simon’s arm. “That’s beautiful. I love you both so much. I’m so happy for you!”

He hiccups again, and Josh dismisses him. “He’s drunk, let him cry. I want to see.” They take turns interfacing, making Gavin feel a little awkward. Almost like he and Tina shouldn’t even be here. He can tell that Tina feels the same way, but it’s definitely too late to slip out. If Gavin is honest, he really wasn’t expecting Markus to be so nice and fashionable and gay. He definitely understands why people look up to him, now.

They talk for a while, listening to Simon describe the ceremony with rapt attention. The only one who doesn’t really talk is North, but Gavin assumes that it’s because she’s still mad at  _ him, _ for some reason.

Trying to steal her man, apparently.

_ Which, I mean, I am, now. But she doesn’t know that. _

Gavin was totally content just to watch Niles from a distance, stalk his Instagram, die alone with seven cats. Now that he’s met North, and confirmed that she totally  _ is _ a bitch, he’s going to spend time with Niles. Get him to like Gavin again. Gavin shares a glance with Tina, and she shakes her head, able to tell from his expression that he’s vowing to win Niles’ affection.

Eventually, Markus’ head bolts upright, reminding Gavin of a guard dog. “Someone is fighting.” He frowns. “There’s no fighting in New Jericho.” He looks to his husband, communicating something to him in silence. “Excuse us, would you?” He nods to the group, saying that he’ll catch up with them before looking over at Tina and Gavin. “It was great meeting you both, enjoy the rest of the party!” He grabs Simon’s hand and pulls him from the room. Gavin supposes that must be something he does a lot, ditching them to do something else, because the group heaves a collective sigh when the door shuts behind them.

Josh, setting his book on top of the control panel, folds his arms when he faces them again. “How’re you holding up, North?”

Gavin is confused for a second, before he sees North’s hands, balled into shaking fists at her sides. She groans loudly, the sound echoing throughout the room. Connor flinches, covering his ears. “It’s not fair!” She glares at the floor, her hands still shaking. 

“What’s not fair?” Josh leans against the panel, crossing one leg over the other.

“A month and a half? He couldn’t even make that time for me. It’s not fair!” North shakes her head, looking at Niles for a second before, “What’s so great about  _ Simon, _ anyway?” She spits his name like a curse, and Gavin looks at Tina, both of them knowing that they shouldn’t be here for this. This is definitely a conversation for her close friends, which Tina and Gavin are  _ not. _ But, the door is closed. They can’t really sneak out. Can they?

“North,” Josh warns. “It’s not-”

“I mean, what does Simon have that I don’t?” She flails her arms, finally unballing her fists. “When we broke up, Markus said that he didn’t have time for a relationship. So, how come he has time for Simon, huh? If he couldn’t even give me one day, how did he manage to get a  _ month and a half  _  just to marry Simon?”  _ Oh. _ Gavin realizes  _ that’s _ why she seemed so familiar in Niles’ pictures. Gavin saw her during the revolution. Markus kissed her on camera. Briefly, Gavin kind of feels bad for her. He can’t let it last, since she was rude to him, but still.

“Is he stupid? Did he even know how much this would hurt me?”

Sighing, Josh shakes his head. “North, I don’t think he married Simon to hurt you. I think he loves Simon, and you need to-”

“He said he loved me!” She looks up at Niles with fire in her eyes, softening only when his hand fins the small of her back. Taking a deep breath, she tries to stop yelling. “He loved me. Why didn’t I mean anything to him?” She turns to Connor, flailing her arms again. “He’s always doing this shit to hurt us. I mean, fuck, even  _ you,  _ Connor. Aren’t you mad at him?”

Connor blinks, brown eyes darting around the room. “What? Why would I be mad at him for getting married?”

North moves from Niles to smack her fists against Connor’s chest weakly, angry whimpers escaping her lips. “You should hate him. You should hate Simon. Hell, you should hate me, too, Connor. I mean,” She hits him again, then steps back, exasperated. “You left _ Chloe _ for him!”

Silence falls over the room, and Connor frowns, not too drunk to misunderstand her. “No, I didn’t.”

“You did! You chose Markus and what did he do? Leave you for Simon! It’s not fair, for either one of us. He treats us like-”

“Please do not confuse what happened between Markus and I with what happened between Markus and  _ you.” _ Connor narrows his eyes, shutting her up quickly. “We ended things mutually, we wanted different futures. It wasn’t serious and it didn’t last long.”

“Yes, but-”

“North, I did not love Markus. He didn’t love me.” North groans, sinking to sit on the floor. Connor tries to lean over to meet her eye, but wobbles, and has to lean on Niles to stand upright. “I know you’re upset, and that’s fine. I think you have every right to be. I also think you should talk to Markus about how you feel, I’m certain he didn’t mean to hurt you. What you  _ can’t _ do is try and get people to gang up against him, okay?” She folds her arms, pouting, and Connor sighs, struggling to stand on his own and turning to Niles. “I need a drink.”

“No you don’t.” Niles glances down at North. “She might, but I think you need to be cut off.”

“Shut up, no I don’t.” Connor startles when North stands, looking between all three of the men around her before looking to Gavin and Tina. She frowns, then storms out of the room. Gavin winces, glancing at Tina again. She shrugs. This is weird. Connor sighs. “Someone should probably go after her? She’s not in the right headspace.” Niles turns on his heel, eager to leave the room, but Connor sticks his arm out, stopping him. “Josh, you go.”

Reluctantly, Josh nods, then stalks out of the room, leaving his book on the control panel. Niles turns back around, glaring down at Connor. “What’s your deal?”

“She’s… vulnerable right now, Bubby.” Connor’s eyes dart again, holding Gavin’s gaze for a split second. “I don’t want you to… use her.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”  
Connor huffs. “I mean, I know you, Niles. I know how your mind works. She’s sad and she’s been drinking, and she’s going to be all over you. I don’t want you to take advantage of her.”

Niles rolls his shoulders back, exhaling loudly. “I’m not going to do that.”

“Yeah, I don’t trust you.”

“Connie, I’m not like that.” Connor frowns, and Niles rolls his eyes. “Okay, sometimes I’m like that, but not with North, okay? I thought we talked about this.”

“We haven’t. You said you don’t want to date her, not that you don’t want to sleep with her.” Connor shrugs, reaching down to adjust the suspenders at his waist. “I love you, but you manipulate people too easily.”

He glances at Gavin again, and Gavin’s eyes widen. Connor raises his eyebrows, Gavin’s jaw drops. Niles tilts his head, his LED cycling, and they continue their conversation in their minds.

Gavin… isn’t really sure what to make of this information.

Should… should he feel better? Should he feel worse? He has no idea.

Without thinking, he grabs Tina’s arm, yanking her out of the bridge and into the cold night air, walking to the edge of the deck and looking out at the water. She shivers beside him, folding her arms. “What’s going on?” Tina steps closer to him, trying to get warm again. “What was that about?”

“Did… did you hear what Connor said?”

“I mean, sort of? Why? They were talking about North, right?”

Gavin shakes his head. “No, Teen, he was talking about Niles.” Glancing over his shoulder, he makes sure that he can still see Connor and Niles through the window, silently arguing and not even acknowledging that Gavin had left. “Connor said…” Gavin laughs a little, shaking his head again. “Connor said that Niles manipulates people when they’re sad so they’ll sleep with him.”

Tina blinks. “What?”

“Then, he looked  _ directly at me.” _ Gavin laughs again, louder this time, smacking his hand on the railing. “God, Niles...What a fucking asshole!”

He keeps laughing, and Tina watches him with wide eyes. “Gavin, what are you talking about? What’s funny?”  
“Niles said that when I turned him down, he didn’t care. I didn’t phase him, right? The reason he hates me is because I strangled Connor.” Gavin bounces, the cold finally starting to get to him. “He didn’t care, because he didn’t even like me! I’ve been panicking for months for no fucking reason!”

“I’m still confused,”

“Ugh, okay,” Gavin exhales, trying to control his shivering and his laughter. “When I told Niles I didn’t fuck androids, he didn’t care. Like, I didn’t actually hurt his feelings, because he  _ just  _ trying to have sex with me.” 

“Wait, he-”

“I was upset, and I asked him to make me feel better. Connor looked at me in there, because he’s drunk, and we’re friends now, and he wanted to make it apparent that Niles was just going to use me for sex. I’ve been beating myself up over this guy because I thought I hurt him. I thought he genuinely liked me, but…” Gavin shakes his head again, still dumbfounded. “He literally just wanted to fuck. I was sad, he didn’t think I would say no.”

Tina twists her lips to the side, confused for a second, before, “What a dick.”

“No, Teen, this is a good thing.”

_“What?”_ _  
_ “He never liked me, and I’m friends with Connor now. And, Connor is in there-” He points to the bridge. “Telling Niles not to sleep with North, right?”

“I mean,” Tina looks over at the windows, watching Connor stand on his toes to ruffle Niles’ hair. “I guess,”

“Meaning,” Gavin smirks, reaching into one of the pockets on Tina’s jacket to retrieve the cigarettes he hid in there. He lights one, sticking it between his teeth. “I can get Connor to convince Niles to give me another chance! There’s hope for me.”

Tina blinks, batting away the cloud of smoke as Gavin breathes it into the air around them. “Gavin, you just said he would use you.”

“Yeah. But, Connor is his brother! He could help me get on his good side. Maybe we could work things out.” Shrugging, Gavin passes the cigarette to Tina, who accepts it with shivering hands. “Besides, even if it works out, but he only wants to have sex with me, I’d be okay with that, I think.” Tina raises an eyebrow. “I mean, what if the only reason I’m freaking out is because I didn’t bone him? What if, like, once it happens, I’m like ‘Huh, okay, cool,’ and I can go back to the way things were. Keep bar crawling like I used too.”

“Gav,” Tina begins, passing the cigarette back. “That doesn’t sound healthy.” 

“Yeah, well, neither is any of the other shit I do.”

She sighs. “I mean, I guess, but-” They both look up as the door to the bridge slides shut, and watch as Niles speedwalks back to the party. Footsteps ring against the metal as Connor crosses to join them by the rail. “Hey,” Tina smiles, a smile that let’s Gavin know that they aren’t finished talking.

Connor sighs, briefly looking between them before taking the cigarette from Gavin and chucking it out into the lake. Gavin yells, and Connor rolls his eyes. “It’s bad for you. Come on, let’s get back to the party. You guys can watch me get drunker.”

“We can watch you?” Tina raises an eyebrow. 

“Yeah,” Connor shrugs, scratching his exposed hip bone, right above where his pantline meets his skin. “We don’t really have alcohol. Just the Thirium stuff. I don’t think you can drink it.” 

He turns to start walking back, and Gavin calls out. “Hey, uh,” Connor turns. “What would you say if I asked you to help me convince Niles to give me another shot?”

Connor blinks, watching Gavin closely for a second before laughing loudly, the sound hollow against the cold air. “I would say that it had better be you,” He throws his arm over Gavin’s shoulder. “Between us, he can do way better than North.”

Gavin laughs, too, turning to walk with him back inside. “Shit, Dude. I’ve been saying the same thing all night.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Feb 3, 2042**

**1:23 am**

Gavin doesn’t think he’s ever been to a party when he’s completely sober. It’s kind of nice, in a weird way. He’s having a great time, which is surprising. Usually, by this late he’s asleep, or having sex he won’t remember in a stranger’s bed. This is nice, because he can watch other people get shitfaced and make fun of them, and remember it in the morning.

He’s having fun.

Mostly, he’s laughing at Connor, who is, as Josh stated, a  _ monster. _

Gavin’s lost count of how many drinks he’s pounded, and honestly, doesn’t worry about taking care of him anymore. Though Connor is kind of a light weight by Gavin’s standards, he’s an android, so there’s literally no limit. He just…  _ keeps drinking,  _ and it’s fucking hilarious. He’s at that point where he talks way too loud and way too much, about things that are absolutely not things he would talk about if he’s sober. So, Gavin can’t help himself when he asks, “What is Hank’s dick like?”

Connor snorts, the sound loud compared to Tina’s choking mid-yawn. She spits onto the table, and immediately starts apologizing before Connor waves her off. “It’s fantastic.” He taps his chin. “Honestly, I don’t have much to compare it to, but it  _ is  _ the best dick I’ve ever had.” He winks at Tina, then picks up one of the cups from the table. Most are empty, but he drinks from this one slowly. “Thick, but manageable.”

“Manageable?” Gavin repeats, just trying to make Tina uncomfortable.

“Mhmm,” Connor nods around a mouthful of thirium. “Like, big, but not so big that I wouldn’t be able to take it.” He thinks for a second. “Though, I  _ am _ an android, so I don’t think that I would ever  _ not _ be able to handle a penis, no matter the size.”

“Why’s that?”  
Connor taps his mouth. “No gag-reflex.” Gavin laughs, and Connor takes another drink. “And, you know, my inability to get tired, my natural eagerness to please and my self-lubrication system.”

Gavin smacks the table. “You have one of those?”

“Oh yes,” Connor smirks. “It’s very useful.”

Tina coughs, clearing her throat out. “Who, uh, who in their right mind would design a prototype android meant to investigate literal murders, and give them a  _ self- lubrication system?” _

Shrugging, Connor finishes his drink and drops the empty cup to the table before picking up another one. “Someone horny, probably.”

Gavin leans forward on his elbows. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Is it about Niles?”

“How did you know?”  
“Lucky guess.” 

Connor grins, and Gavin glances around the room a second, before, “Does he have that?”

“He does now.” Connor nods, taking a swig of his new drink. He swallows it with ease. “Not when he was built, though. Like Tina said, I’m a prototype, so they were just testing everything out on me. Niles was built without the sexual enhancements.”

Gavin blinks, wondering how his new plan is even going to work if Niles can’t have sex. “What did you mean by ‘he does now?’”

“Like, he got the attachments for it. After the revolution, several androids set up stores to give other androids without the compatibility, the biocomponents and software required for intercourse. He just upgraded.” Connor shrugs again. “I think he did it out of boredom when he was in Kalkaska. If he wasn’t there, I don’t know if he would’ve done it.” He laughs a little. “You know, it’s kind of funny, imagining people at CyberLife designing the RK900 and deciding that where they went wrong with me was letting me get aroused.”

Gavin laughs with him then, launching into crappy impressions of CyberLife professionals, saying shit like  _ “oh no, this one got a boner,” _ Tina groans, standing from her chair. “I can’t be around you anymore.”

“What? Why not?” Gavin tries to stop laughing. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re too wild. And, I have to pee.” She turns to Connor. “Is there a bathroom in this place?”

Connor sighs, shaking his head. “I have no idea, actually. I don’t use them.”

Gavin stands, too, stretching his arms out wide. “I’ll help you look for one, Teen. I don’t know if you should wander by yourself, this boat is huge.” She nods, and he looks to Connor. “You gonna be okay here for a few minutes?”  
Slowly, Connor nods, setting his drink back down. “Yes. I should probably call Hank anyway. Let him know I’m okay. It’s rather late.” 

Gavin pats his shoulder, then sets off with Tina to find a place to piss.

There are still way too many androids here, since they don’t get tired and have literally not stopped partying. So, they find another grated staircase, winding upwards so they can get to the beams overhead. Gavin spots a corridor, and they head towards it, walking down it slowly as they realize the lights don’t run down this hall. Tina stops. “Gavin this is scary.”

“What? It’s a boat, Teen. It’s just dark.” There’s light at the end of the hall, but not a lot. 

Tina shakes her head. “I don’t want to go down there.”

Gavin rolls his eyes. “Well, what if it’s the bathroom? Don’t you have to pee?”

“I’ll hold it.”

“Jeez, Tina, calm down.” He pats her head. “Are you tired?” She nods. “Okay, well let’s pee, then say goodbye to Connor and get out of here. We have to work tomorrow anyway.” She looks at the hallway warily, and Gavin points to the rail. “Stay here, look out for Connor down below, okay? I’ll scope out the spooky corridor.”

“Thank you.” Tina smiles. “Wait, what if you can’t see?”

“Phones have flashlights, Teen.”

“Oh, right.” She yawns again, turning to lean on the rail and wave down at Connor. “Good luck.”

The hallway is… fuck, okay, the hallway is kind of spooky, but Gavin isn’t about to be caught dead using a flashlight.  _ Don’t be a pussy, Gavin. It’s just a dark hallway. _ He runs his hand along the wall as he goes, just in case. Eventually it branches into two smaller hallways, and he almost runs into the wall. Looking between the two of them, Gavin decides on the one with a bit of light at the end. He has to cup his hand against the windows on the doors, peering into them to find a toilet. They seem to be more bedrooms, which Gavin supposes makes sense.  _ I guess it’s technically still a refuge for androids. They don’t need toilets.  _

He starts debating whether or not they even need beds before he gets to the door with light coming out of it, ever so slightly ajar. There’s noise inside, and Gavin can’t really tell what it is. But, if it’s a ghost or a demon, at least he’ll die knowing Tina is still safe at the party. 

Slowly, he pushes the door open a little more, peeking his head inside.

It’s a sitting room of some sort, not a bathroom or a bedroom. Which, kind of sucks. Gavin’s gaze lands on the source of the noise. A person. Their back is turned, sitting backwards in a chair, which is weird. Gavin blinks a few times, apparently not having adjusted to the light after walking through the dark hallway. He reaches up to rub at his eyes, blinking slowly as he realizes…

It’s North.

He recognizes the pattern of her skirt and the fishnets around her arms. He continues to blink, not realizing what she’s doing to warrant the strange sound. Gavin glances down at the chair she’s in, then sees the legs there.  _ Weird. _ He’s about to leave before he processes things, his brain catching up to him. North’s skirt pushed up over her waist, her hair gently bouncing against her shoulders. The sounds she’s making, the hands gripping her ass. 

The rolling movements accompanying each rough rise and fall of her hips.

Oh.

_ Oh my god. _

Gavin slips away from the room, running as quietly as humanly possible back down the hallway, sharply turning right and running right back to the party, almost colliding into Tina. “Hey, did you find a bathroom?”

“No.”

His mind races, and he must look crazy, because Tina’s hand finds his bicep. “Are you okay? There wasn’t actually something scary down there, right?”

“I mean kind of, yes.” Her eyes widen, and he waves her off. “Uh, I walked in on North having sex.”

“What?”

“Yeah, like, she was riding a dude.”

“Woah,” Tina presses her hand to Gavin’s chest. “Aw, your poor gay heart.”

“Yeah, it was… weird.” He leans against the railing, spotting Connor, before, “Hey, wait a second,” He whips to Tina, surprising her a little. “We can’t leave yet. I have to find Niles.”

Tina blinks. “Why?”

He gestures to the hallway with his thumb. “North is in there! She’s probably too busy to keep me from stealing her man or whatever, right? Because, obviously, he’s uh,” Gavin coughs. “Not her man if she’s in there doing that.” He looks out at the crowd again. “Do you see him anywhere?” 

“No,” Tina joins him on the rail. “We could ask Connor. Can’t they speak telepathically or whatever?”  
“Yes, exactly! Then I can find Niles, work my charm, get him to like me.” Gavin is already forming pick up lines in his head.

“Hmm, maybe an apology should come first? Just, so he knows you really didn’t mean what you said.” Tina turns, leaning her back against the rail to peer back into the hallway. 

“True, true. Maybe I should just apologize tonight, then start flirting with him at work tomorrow? Or, no, maybe that’ll be too late. What if North snatches him up again? I mean, I doubt it, because she’s sluttin’ it up in there, but who’s to say, really? Oh gosh, what if this is it, Teen? This is my one chance to win Niles over?” He smiles. “He’s down there somewhere. Brooding or yelling at someone or trying to get laid. Well, good luck, Dude. My ass is comin’ for ya’.” Gavin laughs. “What do you think, Teen? Should I just go for it?”

She doesn’t answer. “Teen?”

Still, nothing. “Tina?” Gavin turns, trying to read the expression on her face. It’s a scowl of some sort, and Gavin has no idea what it means. “Well, I mean, we don’t have to stay if you’re really that tired. We can go, if you want.” Silence. Gavin stretches his hand out, snapping his fingers in her face.  _ “Tina.” _

Groaning, he turns to see what the  _ fuck _ she’s looking at, fully prepared to yell at her for ignoring him before,

Oh.

North is in the hallway, leaning on someone and laughing about something. He watches, unmoving, unable to move, his mouth open slightly. His heart stops, and he kind of wants to die.

It’s Niles.

_ God fucking dammit. _

Tina shakes his arm, and it’s Gavin’s turn to be silent. He doesn’t hear what she says, searing white noise ringing in his ears. They reach the end of the hallway, and even though he literally hasn’t drinken anything, Gavin needs to vomit. 

Niles raises one perfect, dark eyebrow. “Hey. Is he alright?” 

Gavin’s hearing comes back. Tina laughs uncomfortably. “He saw a ghost.”

“Research suggests that ghosts are not real, Tina.” 

“Yeah, well, he saw  _ something.”  _

Niles purses his lips, about to say something else, but Gavin keels over, spilling the contents of his stomach onto the grate beneath his feet. Bile drips down onto the floor below, making Gavin feel even worse. North laughs, but Niles just watches as Tina pulls Gavin to his feet. “You really should see a doctor, Gavin.”  
“What?” Gavin shakes his head.

“Every time I see you outside of work, you vomit. That’s definitely cause for some concern.” Gavin can’t breathe He can’t fucking breathe. “Have you seen my brother? It’s getting late and he’s drunk, so I should probably make sure he gets home.” Niles tilts his head. “You have a way to get out of here, right?”

Gavin can’t do anything besides wipe the vomit from the corners of his mouth, so Tina nods. “Uh, yes, we’re set. Thank you.”

“Okay, I was just making su-” North tugs on his arm, and he looks down at her, LED blinking as they communicate wordlessly. 

Maybe being sick has made Gavin start to hallucinate, but he watches as Niles’ mouth twitches into the only genuine smile Gavin has ever seen him give.

“Well, we’re going to go, then.” The smile fades quickly. “I’ll see you both at work tomorrow?” Tina nods, and Niles dips his head. “Goodnight, Gavin.”

Gavin swallows hard. “G-goodnight, Niles.” He watches after them as they leave, falling back to lean on the railing again. He doesn’t hear any of what Tina says the rest of the night, not even when the cab drops him off at his apartment. He doesn’t hear anything. Can’t hear anything.

The next morning, Gavin calls in sick.


	11. The Queen Is Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor worries about getting married

**Feb 14, 2042**

**9:12pm**

“My friend Markus got married.”

Connor doesn’t like feeling selfish.

This whole situation makes him feel selfish. And he hates it. He shouldn’t have even brought it up. Calliope  _ asked  _ what was on his mind, and he wanted to be honest. In their more recent sessions, she makes them talk about things going on in their lives. And, since Connor didn’t bring it up last time, Calliope could sense that something was bothering him. Something eating away at his chilled demeanor and making his eye twitch constantly. He’s not necessarily angry, just… twitchy.

He thinks the only person he’s angry with is North. Because she was absolutely right. Connor  _ is _ upset with Markus. And he regrets bringing it up at all. Now, Calliope wants to make him talk about his feelings, which is stupid. “Well, how does that make you feel, Connor?”  _ Selfish. _ Blinking, Connor shrugs, not wanting to look over at Gavin beside him. Calliope sits before them, her arms folded across her desk. She cocks her head to the side, expectant, but still, Connor says nothing. She sighs. “If you don’t want to talk about it here, that’s fine. I’m just saying, you might feel a bit better if you vent.” 

Connor frowns. “It’s not that. It’s just,” 

He hears Gavin shift in the seat beside him, mentally preparing himself for Gavin to start making fun of him. Instead, Gavin sighs. “It’s clearly bothering you, Dude. I mean, even if you’re not…  _ mad _ about it, you can still talk about it, if you want. I think we’re past the point of judging each other, right?” 

Connor keeps frowning, but finally looks over at Gavin to make sure he’s being serious. A quick scan deduces that he’s telling the truth. Connor rolls his eyes. “It makes me feel selfish.”

“How?” Calliope asks, her face still and even. Connor can’t even see her blink.

Sighing, Connor brings his gaze down to his lap, spinning the ring around his finger. “It’s just… Markus wants to use my marriage to further his position in politics. He has camera crews and reporters tipped off and paid to come with us and televize my wedding. It’s going to be huge, he’s invited a lot of people, even people I don’t know personally. He’s paying for the whole thing, which I suppose is generous of him, and he wants it to be a symbol of peace. A human marrying an android is a big deal, even though androids were granted freedom over three years ago. Markus says it will show our humanity. That we’re… we’re alive.”

Connor takes a breath, internally yelling at his eye to stop twitching. “He’s one of my best friends, so we agreed to go through with it. Even this weekend, since he’s not in town, he wants me to call him while Hank and I pick suits and flowers and stationary. But,” Pausing, Connor glances at Gavin, who smiles at him encouragingly, urging him to continue. “But, we only said we would help him with this, if we could also do it privately, beforehand. Hank and I would get married by ourselves, exchange truthful vows and really just,  _ celebrate _ our love for each other. That way, when we did the stunt for Markus and our people, we would already be married, it wouldn’t be taking something that special away from us and giving it to the media.

“But, when Markus was in Paris, he and his boyfriend got married spontaneously.” Connor takes a breath. “And it’s everywhere. He announced it last week and almost the entirety of the internet is still freaking out about it. Just a few days ago, someone stopped me while I was walking my dog to ask if I had anything to say about him secretly getting married.”

Calliope watches Connor closely, still expressionless. Slowly, she nods. “Did he tell you first?”

Connor looks at Gavin again. “Yes, at a party last week before he told anyone else, but I was intoxicated. I was excited for him, really, but the next morning it kind of hit me. Sober, I realized that it sort of… wasn’t fair. And now, I feel selfish. I shouldn’t be upset that he got married, it’s not fair of me to criticize him for that because I agreed to do it this way. But, at the same time, it’s not fair of him to use my wedding for political gain, especially when he’s been so adamant that everything goes perfectly. Hank is angry, but I’m just hurt, I think. It was sweet of him to propose to Simon the way he did. It was very romantic, but it just… sucks that he didn’t think about us. He has this whole thing planned for us, to take our wedding and mold it into what he believes is perfect, when he wouldn’t sacrifice his own marriage for that.

“And now, because of him getting married in secret, it… It feels like Hank and I can’t even do that anymore. Like, we shouldn’t do it, because Markus already has. We’ll have to do the vows Markus prepares for us and actually get married on live television and it just fucking sucks.”

Connor doesn’t say anything else, continuing to spin the ring and stare at the same spot on the desk. Time stretches on for a while, and he tries to focus on a ticking sound he can hear from somewhere in the building. He can’t even tell if it’s coming from this room, he’s so conflicted. Eventually, Calliope sighs. “You probably could go and,”

“No.”

Surprisingly, this word comes from Gavin, not Connor. Connor turns to Gavin, blinking slowly. “What you need to do is talk to Markus. He seems like a reasonable guy. He’ll listen to you if you tell him you’re upset.” Gavin folds his arms, sinking down into the pink chair. “He’s your best friend, right?”

Connor shrugs. “Yes,”

“Then he’ll totally get it if you want to call off the whole big wedding idea. I don’t know why he wouldn’t, unless he’s a dick.” Gavin chuckles a little. “I think it’s totally valid for you to be angry. It’s not on you to help him make a statement on human-android relationships. You don’t have to help him at all. But, I mean, if you do, you should at least get a say in what the wedding is like. It’s  _ your _ fucking wedding, Connor. Not his.”

Hesitating, Connor shrugs again, wondering why his heart feels like it’s going to explode. “That seems selfish.”

“So? Be selfish. Trust me, Toaster, every single person in this country, human  _ and _ android, gets to be selfish.” Gavin reaches out, patting Connor’s thigh. “You and Hank deserve the greatest wedding of all time. If doing this political thing won’t make your wedding the best, you shouldn’t do it.”

“You… you really think we deserve a good wedding?” Connor shakes his head. “Gavin, you don’t like us.”

Gavin laughs, then realizes that Connor is being serious. “Are you kidding me? Connor, we’re like, friends now. And, like, sure, Hank gets on my nerves sometimes, but you guys are great. Great together, and it’s pretty clear you guys deserve to be happy. I like you both well enough. You’re a cool dude, Connor. I’m sorry if it still seems like I hate you. I don’t, I swear. I like hanging out with you, even outside of work. I mean, shit, I even look forward to these things sometimes,” Gavin gestures to the room around him. “Just to hang out with you some more. You’re super awesome, and you deserve the best  _ everything. _ I’m so sorry if I ever made you feel like you didn’t.”

Connor blinks at Gavin, dumbfounded. He’s not sure how this evolved into how much Gavin likes him, but he’s glad that it did. Maybe Gavin’s right, anyway. He should just… talk to Markus.

Calliope whistles, reminding them both of her presence. “Gosh, you guys don’t even need me, anymore. You can just talk to each other. You know, I don’t even know why you were signed up for this anymore. You guys have kind of… surpassed every other group of people I’ve counseled in conflict resolution. It’s weird how quickly you guys latched on to each other.

Gavin shrugs, speaking for Connor. “Yeah, it’s probably ‘cause we’re both gay.”

Connor rolls his eyes. “No, he’s sucking up to me because he wants to sleep with my brother.”

Laughing, Gavin smacks Connor’s shoulder. “Nah. I’d still be your friend even if Niles wasn’t hot.”

Connor laughs with him, and is about to thank him before Calliope smacks the table. “Holy shit.”

“What?” Gavin jumps, his eyebrows knitting together.

She sighs, reaching into her pocket to fish out her cell phone. “Your session ended twenty minutes ago.” Shifting, she stands, ushering for them to stand as well. “I have another appointment. We’ll have to continue this next week. I’m sorry, I-”  
“It’s okay,” Connor smiles. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

Calliope winks. “It’s my job.”

Laughing again, Connor leaves with Gavin, glancing back at Calliope when she swoops to apologize to a frumpy woman seated in the waiting room. Once outside, Connor turns to Gavin. “Look, I,”

Gavin raises his hand. “Nah, Dude. Don’t make this weird.” Playfully, he punches Connor’s bicep. “Just know that, uh, you’re a good person, Connor. Do what feels right for you.”

“Thank you,”

“Don’t make this weird!” Gavin repeats, flicking the hood of his jacket over the back of his head before reaching down to grab his helmet from where he left it on the pavement. “I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, sure.” Smiling, Connor nods, watching as Gavin crosses the parking lot to his bike before calling after him. “Happy Valentine’s Day,”

Gavin turns, then laughs, kicking his leg up over the thing. “Yeah, you too.”

Connor makes it to his car, shutting the door behind him. He watches as Gavin zips out of the lot on his bike, staring after him even after he’s long gone. Sighing, Connor reaches down to fiddle with his ring again. Before he goes home to see whatever romantic thing Hank cooked up for their evening, Connor types against the small screen of his phone.

He calls Markus.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

**Mar 4, 2042**

**12:27pm**

There are a lot of ways that the RK900 model is better than the RK800 prototype. Several thousand upgrades and changes, programs that the prototype never tested. Things for forensics and investigations, for stake outs and bomb extractions. They make the finished model approximately seven thousand times better than the prototype could ever be.

But, the RK900 is a deviant. He lost access to some things, and altered the RK800 a little, tweaking the programming to give his successor  _ some  _ of the upgrades.

Connor hates using them. 

He knows that Niles showed him how to do some things that he couldn’t before: switching the depth of his audio processing, absorbing tear gas through the ventilation system in the cavity enclosing his metal heart, seeking heat signatures whenever warranted. Lots of things.

Though, admittedly, Connor has forgotten how to use most of them.

Even now, as he watches Niles from across the precinct, he has to search through his own memories and thoughts to find the program to do what he needs. 

Briefly, Connor glances at Hank, seated at his desk across from Connor. His eyes are glued to his terminal, and a quick scan of his headphones shows Connor that he’s listening to Knights of the Black Death. Good, Connor doesn’t need him to get angry right now. Turning his attention to his own terminal, Connor tries to look busy, like he hasn’t been watching his brother. 

Hank really  _ really _ hates when Connor meddles like this, but can anyone blame him? He’s going to go crazy if he doesn’t.

Niles has been… talking today.

To Gavin Reed.

Which  _ would _ be fine, if they were speaking at a volume Connor could hear.

But, they aren’t, and he’s losing his mind. He can only walk to the break room slowly so many times before Hank tells him to sit down, or they catch on. It’s… Connor can’t really explain why watching them speak is so stressful. Most likely it’s because of Connor’s vow to Gavin, to help him get on Niles’ good side. Though, it could also be that he doesn’t want Niles to threaten him anymore. Niles is usually very good about staying quiet, but every once in a while, he says something snide and Connor yells at him for a few minutes. Above all else, Gavin and Connor are friends now. Connor has to stand up for him.

What’s most confusing to Connor is that he can see Gavin responding, though he can’t hear it. Normally, Gavin shrinks into himself when talking to Niles. Sometimes, he faces Niles without fear, but he never really speaks. Not for this long. It’s making Connor freak out, and he sighs a breath of relief when he figures out how to access the auditory upgrade.

_ System Initialization _

_ Accessing Audio Adapter _

_ Loading… _

_ Enter Serial Number _

Connor chances looking at Hank, making sure he’s not paying attention, before,

_ 313-248-317-87 _

_ Connecting… _

_ Audio Transferred _

“-a cool place, for sure. Great for concerts and stuff.”

Connor’s ears flood with Gavin’s voice, and he heaves a sigh of relief. He can now hear everything Niles does. Good. This is good. But, it doesn’t sound like he’s being threatened. Connor is suddenly incredibly confused because the conversation they’re having sounds… pleasant. He glances over at their desk clump, watching Gavin bob his head as he speaks.

“I mean, you should definitely check it out if you’re into metal or whatever.”

Connor registers Niles’ sighing, practically feeling it in his own chest. 

“I am. And, I will, if granted the time.” Niles pauses. “How vast is the space? How many people can it accommodate?”

“That depends, I think. I don’t know, it’s a huge club. Tina and I used to go all the time when it was just the two of us. They have, like, some big tables for going in large groups, though.”

Hank shifts in his seat and Connor startles, having to force himself to look back at his terminal. 

“Hmm, you know,” There’s a clicking sound, and Connor thinks it’s Niles’ teeth, shifting beneath his gums. It must not be, because Gavin doesn’t start crying. “I’m in a band.”

“Really?” In Connor’s peripheral vision, he watches Gavin lean forward on his elbows, resting his chin in his hands attentively. Briefly, Connor wonders why Niles hasn’t ripped his throat out yet.

“Yes. We cover songs, mostly, but sometimes we try original pieces.” The clicking continues, and Connor blinks, really not sure what it is. “Actually, we have a set planned in a few months, if you would like to come.”

The strangled sound Gavin makes is more normal to Connor, and he exhales, wondering what’s made Niles behave so nicely all of a sudden. He was expecting to eavesdrop on Gavin getting his ass handed to him, not a friendly invitation to listen to music. “I… really?”

“Yes.” The clicking stops. “Though, you can’t judge us for our name. I did not pick it.”

“Oh. What is it?”

“Blood Loaf.”

“Blood Loaf?” Gavin repeats.

Niles deadpans. “Yes.”

“What does that even mean?”  
A sigh, then more clicking. “I haven’t the slightest idea. Something our drummer came up with. Said she wanted to scream it before we start.”

“Oh,” Gavin shifts in his seat. Connor can hear the leather of his jacket creak. “Well, it sounds fun. I would love to go.”

Glancing upwards, Connor can see that Hank has removed his headphones, and is saying something without sound.

_ Audio Transfer Interrupted _

_ Adapting Audio… _

_ 313-248-317-51 _

_ Transferred _

“Con, are you even listening to me?”

“Sorry, what was that?” Connor tilts his head, looking up at Hank with wide eyes. He glances over at Gavin and Niles briefly, watching as Gavin laughs at something.  _ Laughing. Why is he laughing? _

“You’re awfully quiet, today.”

“You had headphones on.”

Hank lets out a sigh, running his hands down his face. “You gotta stop staring at them, Connor. They’re going to catch on.”

“I wasn’t-”

“You were, don’t lie to me, I saw you.” Hank leans back in his chair, the wheels squeaking against the floor. “I know you want to help Gavin out, but sometimes you just have to let things run their course.”

“What do you mean?”

Rolling his eyes, Hank picks up a tablet from his desk. Connor watches as he flips through paperwork, looking over something for one of his open cases. “You and Reed are friends now, or whatever, and you don’t like when Niles wants to murder him, right?” Connor shifts, not answering. Hank closes out of one document and opens another. “I know you’re trying to help him out, but by doing that you might be pushing Niles away.”

Connor’s eyes snap up, and he frowns immediately. “I am not pushing Niles away.”

“Maybe not now, but you will if you keep staring at him.” 

That clicking sound returns, and for a second, Connor wonders if he’s still hearing Niles’ audio. He looks over, seeing that Niles has vacated his desk. Gavin’s still there, pulling out his phone and moving his feet to rest next to his keyboard. Connor glances around, trying to find Niles, before,

_ -Listen to Hank. Leave me alone. _

Connor blinks, mumbling something to Hank about him being right before turning back to look at his terminal. He waits for Hank to switch tablets before responding to Niles in his head, wondering where he even went. 

_ ^Why did you invite Gavin to your show? You hate him. _

_ -That’s correct, but, I figured it would be humorous. Don’t patronize me. _

Frowning still, Connor stands from his desk and wanders to the break room, prepared to run into Niles. He’s not there, and Connor is ready to ask him where he went so they can speak face to face, before Niles’ voice rings in his head again.

_ -Tina and I had something to do. Don’t worry about looking for me.  _

Connor groans.

_ ^North doesn’t like him. Are you going to tell her that you invited him? _

A minute passes. Connor takes the opportunity to make Hank a cup of coffee to apologize for being snippy.

_ -She does not dictate what I do. _

_ ^No, but she should at least be aware of what you do. You owe her that much. _

_ -Why? We aren’t together. _

That… upsets Connor, to some degree. Though, he isn’t entirely sure why. He’s spent the last month and a half actively trying to get Niles to like Gavin. Literally anything for Gavin to leave him alone after hours of  _ “Hey did you talk to Niles today? Did he talk about me? What did he say? What was he wearing?” _ All Connor really wants if for  _ both _ of them to be happy, and while he really wants to help Gavin out, there is one problem.

North.

Stupid Niles and his stupid libido.

It’s been two months since Niles started sleeping with her, and in those two months Connor has had to watch her fall in love with him.

There are a lot of times where Connor loathes Niles for not loving North, for leading her on the way that he does. For saying things like  _ “We aren’t together” _ and acting like he has no idea how she feels about him. Why can’t Niles be kinder to people? If he’s so keen on not being with her, then why does he continue to sleep with her?

_ ^You should speak with her. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to stop- _

_ -I will stop you there, Connor, and repeat myself. Leave me alone.  _

Connor huffs, carrying the coffee back across the bullpen. 

_ ^I’m just saying that you should- _

_ -Do not tell me what I should and should not do. Do not transfer my audio to eavesdrop on me ever again, got it? I will end you. _

Hank smiles when the coffee is in his hands. “Thanks, Baby.”

_ -Connor. Say you will not do that again. _

Sliding into his chair, Connor smiles. “You’re welcome, My Love.”

_ -Connor. _

Connor returns to working, humming pleasantly to himself. He begins to scroll through documents on his terminal, quickly locating some old things he wrote back when they first found the biocomponents in that woman’s backyard. Since then, there have been reports all over Detroit, people finding biocomponents for missing androids in their yards, under their cars in their trash cans. Gavin and Connor have been frontrunning this, since they had Alexandra to talk to, but, the box she had proved unsuccessful. They still hadn’t identified where the pictures she had were taken.They didn’t have much to go on.

_ -Connor. _

At this point, when they find more biocomponents, it’s not a big deal. They look into it at least once a week, pulling up old files with nothing else to go on. It’s weird, that whoever is doing this hasn’t left anything behind for them to find. Any slip-ups or imperfections leading to where they might be able to find them.

Gavin says it must be an android doing all of this, since they’re so precise.

Connor, however, suspects a group of malevolent humans.

_ -Connor. _

_ -Connor. _

_ -Connor. _

Connor groans, smacking his hand on the table in exhaustion. 

_ ^For the love of Ra9, shut up.  _

_ -Say you will not eavesdrop on me again. _

_ ^Fine, I will no longer eavesdrop. _

In Connor’s head, Niles laughs. 

_ -That wasn’t so hard, was it? _

Sometimes, Connor really cannot stand him.

  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

**Mar 5, 2042**

**6:09am**

Connor’s stasis is interrupted at one in the morning. Hank uses the force shutdown button inside the panel on his neck. The call came around midnight, and Connor didn’t answer, so Gavin had no choice but to show up at their house.

The analysis on Alexandra’s photographs finally came back. They were taken in an abandoned CyberLife storing facility, a couple miles north of Lansing. This is a huge deal, and Gavin was absolutely justified in coming to wake Connor up. It takes a few hours to get their warrant approved, and another hour to wait for everyone to show up. They’ve been waiting a long time for the feedback on these pictures, and they need a few officers to accompany them. Of course, if they end up busting into a full blown crime scene, the officers in Lansing will be waiting with backup.

Connor contacts them to inform them about the situation while pushing Gavin into the passenger seat of his car. Connor practically had to beg Hank to stay, opting instead to bring six beat cops. He’s putting his faith in Lansing’s precinct, and that made Hank wary, but Connor is completely convinced they’ll be fine. Connor is good at what he does, and Gavin can handle himself under pressure. Plus, in his group of officers is Tina and Niles. Tina’s strong, and Niles is… They’re going to be fine, obviously.

It takes an hour and a half to get to the Lansing department to brief them one final time, and Connor keeps eye contact with Niles as Gavin laughs for what seems like thirtieth time at the mention of Kalamazoo. Connor smacks the back of his head as another officer straps a a vest to his torso, getting tired of it. “Stop. It’s just a town.”

“What?” Gavin thanks the other officer, then knocks his knuckles against the thick vest before pulling his police-grade jacket down to cover it. “Kalamazoo is a funny word.”

“This is not a funny situation.” Snorting, Gavin turns, looking over at Tina, who is also being fitted for a vest. She smiles tiredly. Connor tilts his head. “Are you alright?”

“Hmm? Yeah, yeah.” Gavin shakes his head, quickly denying any notion that he might be nervous to go into this warehouse. Sheepishly, he looks back up at Connor with narrowed eyes. “It’s just, sometimes I think about if Tina gets hurt?” He raises the last bit of his sentence like a question. Like he isn’t sure if what he’s saying make sense. “I don’t know what I would do.”

Connor blinks, processing this for a moment before reaching out to place his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Probability suggests that no one is going to be injured in this place, Detective.” He uses Gavin’s title, trying to remind him where they are. “There is a 39.7% chance that there won’t even be anyone inside. We could go in there and not even find anyone or any traces of thirium anywhere.”

Gavin nods. “And the rest?”

“60.3% of possible outcomes point to someone being in there. If we’re lucky, they’ll be hoarding biocomponents. We can at least arrest them.” Connor takes a deep breath, watching as Gavin nods again, trying to hype himself up. “This morning will be interesting. Right, Detective?”

A slight pause while Gavin checks the ammunition on his hip. “Right, Detective.”

They ride to the warehouse in semi-darkness, all of the lights and sirens on the cars cut out as to not draw attention to them. Once a bit closer, the cars stop, letting out Gavin and Connor and their chosen officers. They walk the rest of the way to the warehouse on foot, letting the Lansing squad hang back, ready to jump in if they need to assist. Gavin trips over a rock, and Niles snorts from behind Connor, not bothering to muffle the sound.

Gavin frowns, then looks at his feet as he walks. Connor jogs a bit to catch up with him. “You know,” Connor begins, trying to get Gavin to look back up. He doesn’t. “Sometimes I worry about what I would do if something happened to Hank. Or, Ra9 forbid something happens to me, leaving Hank alone.”

“Yeah?” Gavin glances over his shoulder, looking at Tina, who whispers quietly to Niles leaned down beside her. 

“The work we do is dangerous, and being worried is a huge part of it.” Connor reaches out to pat his arm. “Even if something goes down in here, and we’re faced with something difficult, I  _ know _ we are going to be fine, Gavin.”

“How do you know that?”  
Connor smiles. “I’m working this with you.” Gavin fumbles for something to say, but Connor shrugs him off. “I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you _or_ Tina in here, even though I know you both can handle yourselves. I trust you’ll look out for me and Niles as well.”

“Uh,” Gavin looks back at Niles again before straightening up, nodding a final time. “Yes. I will.”

After the revolution, the president ordered all CyberLife facilities to be shut down, at Markus’ request. Most were bulldozed. Evacuated of all androids and completely destroyed. Large factories gone, or signed over to Markus himself, allowing him control of the production of all androids. The lots on which the CyberLife stores were have been replaced with other stores and businesses, the factory lots turned into apartments. The only destroyed lot that  _ stays _ destroyed is CyberLife tower. A wasteland of debris right in the center of Detroit. That’s where it started, and the land is protected by the government. No one is allowed near it, not even to remove the rubble.

The order to destroy them did not include the sorting facilities. The places built specifically to hold inactive androids or provide maintenance. They were evacuated, of course, and Markus swept through them personally to make sure that there were no androids left behind. Android freedom meant freedom for  _ all androids,  _ even the ones that were unfinished or not in use. That’s what happened to Niles, too. He was inactive, but the law stated he had to be free, so Connor activated him and made him a deviant.

The warehouse they’re entering now is, spooky, for lack of better terminology. 

Lights flicker off and on, and even from outside, it glows eerily. The shell of an impressive building, once thrumming with technology and now… sad. The group of them stop in front of the large sliding doors in front of the massive building, and Connor steps in front of them to scan the ground by the doors. There are fresh tire tracks here. There must be a car inside. One of the officers presses up against the door, gun in hand, sliding it open just a bit before stepping inside.

A pause, before, “Clear!”

Filing inside, flashlight flicker against each one of their shoulders, illuminating the open garage. Connor looks around, following the tracks for a second before his eyes land on the car. It’s an older model, and a quick search suggests that this car isn’t even compatible for auto-pilot. Weird. The other officers check the perimeter of the room, and Gavin joins Connor as he rounds the car to run the plate and find its owner.

Connor frowns. “No plate.”

Gavin shines his flashlight in the windows, illuminating the empty interior of the car. The seats are bare. “Can you figure anything out based on the model?”

Shaking his head, Connor fiddles with the padlock on the trunk. “No.” He squeezes the lock, ripping it clean off and letting it clatter to the floor. Gavin pulls open the trunk, huffing when he sees that this is empty as well. He starts to whisper about how there’s nothing to find in here, but Connor stops him mid-sentence. “There are traces of thirium in here.” 

“What does that mean?” Gavin tilts his head.

Connor runs his fingertips along the interior, feeling the smooth fabric. “It’s invisible to the human eye, meaning it’s been here a while. Thirium evaporates, after a certain amount of time. I can’t identify what model it belonged to, but I can see that it’s there.”

“Hmm,” Gavin nods, and they continue onward, leaving the car in the large empty room and following down into a series of hallways. The hallways themselves are unnerving. There are old televisions lining the walls, and every so often one will burst to life, displaying a commercial for CyberLife before flickering back to darkness. They make Connor shiver, though he isn’t cold.

“Clear,” Tina calls after she sweeps another large room, and they enter behind her. Someone locates a light switch, and the room illuminates, revealing what it actually is. 

Old machines center themselves in the middle, surrounded by viewing platforms and cameras. The largest machine in the very center, a large claw like piece of metal, creaks once the power returns. It was made to make androids. Weird, that they have one here. Weider, even, that it’s working. Connor scans it. 

_ It’s new. _

“This was added recently,” He states to the room as the officers dig through drawers and cabinets. Flicking his wrist, he calls upon Alexandra’s pictures, holding up his palm to compare this machine to the one pictured, dismantling an android with dexterity. They don’t match. He frowns, then makes to move to the next room, not bothering to inform the others. There’s a smaller door to the left, and Connor looks back at the group. Gavin is showing something to the other officers, and Connor decides to just enter the door on his own.

It’s just another hallway, and he navigates through it quickly, stepping around empty crates and over old wires. There’s several more rooms, and once, they held hundreds of androids. Now, they’re empty, and Connor makes to push open the last door to make sure that it’s empty as well before he runs right into it, his shoulder clinking against the metal.

It’s locked.

Connor frowns, then jerks the handle. It doesn’t budge.

Sighing, Connor steps back, raising his leg to bring his foot down next to the handle. The door swings wide, and Connor’s sensors are hit with a familiar feeling. He scans the room. There are newer pools of thirium on the floor. Someone has been here recently.

He reaches for his gun, holding it in steady hands before stepping over the threshold. 

A few steps forward, and he reaches a small puddle. He kneels, dragging his fingertips through it before bringing the liquid to his tongue. Pulling his hand back, he waits for his scanner to work. This was taken from an android that was reported missing five days ago. Another AP700 model. Frowning still, Connor stands, adjusting the pistol in his hands and navigating through the room, stopping to peer at table tops and computer screens. 

After a minute of searching, he finds what he’s looking for, and holds out his palm again, displaying the photograph. It matches, and Connor sighs, looking up at the machine before him. There’s an android strapped to it, and he scans. The AP700. Her limbs have been removed, and thirium drips from the open cavity on her torso. No thirium pump. Connor steps forward, reaching around to the back of her neck to see if he can-

He freezes, running his hand over the open panel, wrapping his fingers around something and pulling roughly, yanking it out.

It’s a flash drive.

Connor quickly scans over the case files from before he and Gavin were removed from homicide. Old pictures of the android they found dismantled in her kitchen, her torso clawed open. He blinks, queing a quick call to Niles to tell them to come to this room, but he stops.

A hand wraps around Connor’s neck.

Spinning, Connor flips the figure around, knocking him into the table behind him. The man struggles, and Connor reaches for the hood over his head and the mask covering the lower half of his face. Desperately trying to scan him, figure out who this is as soon as possible.

_ -Connor, where are you? _

Niles’ voice rings in Connor’s skull, but he doesn’t hear it as his fist collides with the man’s face, then ducks as the man recovers, aiming low to tackle him into the ground. The man grunts, and wraps his legs around Connor’s arms, using his weight to flip Connor over. He’s bigger than Connor is, and manages to press the android against the ground, his knees digging into Connor’s chest. He pins Connor’s hands with one hand, using the other to fish something that Connor can’t see out of his pocket.

_ -I can’t find your heat signature in here. Are you alright? _

Connor barely registers the panic lacing Niles’ mostly even tone as the man reaches to Connor’s neck to jam a flash drive into it. Code floods Connor’s vision, and he spasms, his entire body reacting against his wishes and refusing to put up anymore of a fight. The man leans back, rolling off of Connor’s chest and kneeling on the floor beside him.

_ -Connor, please answer me. _

The code clears for a moment, and Connor watches as the man removes the lower half of his mask. He seems familiar. Connor’s processors aren’t working properly. He can’t see who the man is. Can’t find him in his database. Can’t see anything other than the man’s hands, ripping the buttons from Connor’s shirt. Can’t hear anything other than the horrible clicking sound as the man removes his thirium pump. The gush of air releasing from his chest cavity and the error message that very nearly blinds him.

_ Vł₮₳Ⱡ ₴Ɏ₴₮Ɇ₥ Đ₳₥₳₲Ɇ; _

_ ฿łØ₵Ø₥₱Ø₦Ɇ₦₮ #8456₩ ₥ł₴₴ł₦₲ _

_ ₮ł₥Ɇ ⱤɆ₥₳ł₦ł₦₲ ฿Ɇ₣ØⱤɆ ₴ⱧɄ₮ĐØ₩₦ _

_ -ØØ:Ø5:ØØ _


	12. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin goes to find Connor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for assault and non-consensual kissing

**Mar 5, 2042**

**6:25am**

_ Tape. Broken tablet. Pens. A toothbrush? Gross. _

Gavin sorts through the things in the bottom drawer of a small filing cabinet, trying to find anything useful. Honestly, he’s kind of pissed that this search has turned out to be a bust. The only thing they’ve found that’s useful so far is that weird android thingy in the center of the room. He turns to look at it, watching as a few of the officers try and log into the computers attached to it. Gavin returns to the cabinet, sliding the last drawer shut. Beside him, Tina sighs, shaking her head and making her flashlight flicker against the cabinet. She reaches up to turn it off. “There’s nothing here.”

“Yeah.” Gavin shrugs. “I really thought we had something. I mean, shit, that’s not even the right machine, is it?” He looks around for a moment before leaning against the cabinet. “Have you seen Connor? He has the pictures on file.” 

Tina shakes her head. “Was that all the cabinets? Maybe we should keep looking.”

“I think this is it, Chen.” Gavin gestures wide, shrugging his shoulders restlessly. “The warehouse part and this. It’s just for storage.” He rolls his eyes, cursing under his breath. “Fuck,”

After leaning beside him, Tina folds her arms, looking out to watch the other officers fiddle with the computers. “Why are they doing that?”

“To see if they can get in, figure out what that machine was used for, if it’s got any cameras-”

“No, I mean, why isn’t Detective Connor doing it?” She uses Connor’s title, and Gavin purses his lips.  _ Why does everyone have to be so formal all the time? _ “I mean, he’s an android. He should be able to get them working.”  _ Hmm. _ Gavin scans the room, watching as one of the officers trips on a cord, then sighs. Connor’s not here.  _ Weird. Where did he go? _ Tina shifts, calling out to the others. “Hey, Twinkle-Toes, watch your step!”

The response is a middle finger. “Fuck off, Chen.”

“No,  _ you _ fuck off,”

Something grazes Gavin’s shoulder, and he looks up to find Niles, reaching out to grab his face. “What are you-” 

Niles’ hand finds Gavin’s cheeks, jerking his head to look towards a wall on the far side of the room. “Did you see my brother go through that door, Detective?”

“What? No, I-” Gavin’s words stick to his tongue as Niles releases him, then looks up into the android’s eyes. 

They’re not blue right now, which isn’t something Gavin has seen before. The irises are a dark grey with red circles in the middle. The whites of his eyes are completely black, and Gavin watches in horror as they scan the room with vigorous intensity. “I can’t…” Niles’s eyes dart, reminding Gavin of what his cat does when she’s scared. “I can’t find him. He’s not answering my-”

“What’s going on?” Tina leans forward, her arms still folded. She straightens at the sight of Niles. “Fuck, what’s going on with your eyes?” Niles’ lips part, but sound doesn’t get the chance to escape his mouth as a gunshot rings out from down in the warehouse.

Every person in the room  _ drops, _ and Gavin scrambles backwards to press his back against the cabinet. Tina does the same, and Gavin watches as Niles squats in front of them, reaching backwards to grab the gun holstered to his belt. The other officers speak wordlessly, and one by one, they begin heading towards the sound, crouched as they go. Gavin can hear Tina messing with something behind him, and tries to reach for his own gun, but stops as Niles spins, sinking to his knees.

He reaches out to grab Gavin’s hand. “Find Connor.”

Niles blinks, and Gavin feels the sudden urge to cry. He’s only ever seen Niles show emotion once. A small, soft smile for North. Now, his features are laced with concern. Worry.

_ Panic. _

Gavin blinks as he realizes that Niles is  _ fucking scared. _

Slowly, he nods, moving to reach for his gun again, expecting Niles to release him.

He doesn’t. His hand stays wrapped around Gavin’s, their eyes locked onto each other. Gavin’s breath hitches, and he can’t tell if he’s scared too, or if he’s just surprised by how… tenderly Niles is holding his hand.

A noise comes from the room, and Gavin doesn’t register that it’s Tina until Niles lets go.

He watches as they leave, following behind the other officers and whispering quietly to each other.

_ Huh. Find Connor. Okay. _

Gavin turns to look at the door Niles pointed out earlier, and sees that it’s slightly ajar. He takes a breath, finally getting the gun to his hands and crossing over to the door. He presses his back to the wall before entering, pushing the door to open it a little more and peer inside. It’s a hallway. Slowly, Gavin makes his way down the hall, glancing into different rooms and scanning them quickly, trying to find his partner. It’s not like Connor to just run off like this. Gavin wonders what got into him, why he thought it was wise to leave the squad. 

There’s a smaller door with light coming out of it, and Gavin peeks his head inside, frowning when he sees the figure moving in front of the light source. At first, he thinks it’s Connor. Then, he spots the faded jeans and work boots, the long coat, and...

The android hooked up to another one of those machines.

Gavin takes a few steps into the room, stepping through a puddle of blue liquid before squatting down into cover behind a long table. He glances down at the puddle, then realizes that it must be thirium. Huh. Gavin cranes his neck around the corner of the table, trying to get a better look at what this guy is doing. The figure paces, moving between a control panel on the left of the machine and a computer on the right. He types something, then continues to pace. His hand drips more of the thirium onto the floor. Gavin’s eyes find the machine, looking down at the android crumpled on the floor in front of it, then up at-

_ Fuck. _

Connor is attached to the machine itself, his body suspended in the air. His head twitches back and forth on his shoulders, and Gavin finally notices the hissing static coming from his open mouth. His entire torso is covered in thirium, and Gavin’s breathing speeds, making him place his hand to his chest.

_ Okay, Gavin. Here we go. _

Slowly, Gavin inches out of cover, silently moving to crouch behind a tower of boxes a little closer to the machine. The computer makes a startup sound, and the screen goes black, making the figure sigh and move to unplug it. It’s Gavin’s opening. He moves again, still crouching, slowly making his way down the center of the room towards the machine. The man plugs the computer back in, then goes back to Connor, fiddling with something that Gavin can’t see.

Gavin stands upright cautiously, his gun trained on the man. He inhales, taking one final step forward, not looking where his foot touches the ground.

It splashes in another pool of thirium.

He swallows slowly as the man glances over his shoulder, his eyes glinting in the darkness of the room, half of his face illuminated by the blue lights of the machine. He turns, slowly, not bothering to raise his hands. “No need to be rash, Officer.”

The voice seems… familiar to Gavin. He shrugs that thought away, keeping his gun focused on the man. He cocks it. “Step away from that machine. Now.” The man looks over at the computer screen, using his clean hand to point at a countdown clock.

_ -ØØ:Ø1:15 _

Gavin wonders what that’s for before he sees what the man holds out in his other hand, still dripping thirium onto the floor. His eyes dart to Connor’s chest. It’s his thirium pump. 

The man tilts his head. “Drop the gun, kick it away from you.” Gavin hesitates. “Do as I say, or it shuts down.”

_ It. _ He means Connor. Gavin weighs his options, looking at the rapidly descending clock. He sets the pistol on the floor, the nudges it away with his foot. The man grins wickedly, then turns back to Connor. Gavin can’t see what he does with his back turned like this, but the clock disappears. Connor’s limbs spasm, straining against the metal arms of the machine. 

“You know,” The man moves back to the computer, beginning to type again. “When I saw the android I figured you would be here, Gavin.”

Gavin’s eyes jerk from Connor to the back of the man’s head. “How do you-”

The man turns, stepping forward so Gavin can make out his face in the darkness. 

Gavin’s stomach somersaults, threatening to make him vomit.

It’s fucking Shane.

“So you remember me?” Shane chuckles, turning to take a few steps toward one of the tables. “Good. I remember you as well.”

He grabs one of the boxes from the table, rummaging through its contents. Gavin feels… scared, but not for himself. He looks over at Connor, still seizing on the metal monstrosity. Gavin really doesn’t know what to do. Shane is… Gavin doesn’t know what he was expecting to find in here, but it wasn’t this. He’s scared, but only for Connor. Having no idea what Shane is looking for, or what he’s planning on doing to Connor, Gavin doesn’t move. His eyes fixate on his gun, on the floor a few feet away from him. 

At the very least, Shane doesn’t seem to want to hurt Gavin. He’s focused on Connor, so Gavin decides that he should either distract Shane and get him away from Connor, or find some way to incapacitate him and unplug that fucking computer.

“What are you doing?” Gavin asks slowly, treading lightly. He really doesn’t want this to escalate any further. If he can stop Shane from doing… whatever it is he’s doing, he needs to do it now, before Connor gets hurt any worse. 

Thankfully, Shane doesn’t look angry when he moves away from the box, a new cord in his hands. He whistles low, still focused on what he’s doing. It’s perturbing, how calm he is. Relaxed. Like there isn’t a squad of cops in the building with back-up on call. Like he isn’t currently torturing someone. “Working,” He replies in a sing song voice, nodding along to some rhythm in his head.

Gavin frowns. “What are you working on?”

Shane sighs, shrugging his shoulders and sticking one end of the cable into the computer’s docking station. “I didn’t say you could speak, Gavin, let alone ask questions.” Gavin doesn’t ask anything else, and Shane smiles, running a hand through his beard before moving to plug the other end of the cable into a panel on Connor’s stomach, exposed to the room through ripped clothing. Gavin watches in slight horror as the skin on Connor’s face flickers in patches, disappearing and reappearing in short bursts. Shane looks at Gavin over his shoulder again, then laughs. “You’re very cute when your mouth hangs open like that, Officer.”

_ “Detective,” _ Gavin hisses.

“Yeesh,” Shane huffs. “Feisty, aren’t you?” He reaches around to mess with something on the back of Connor’s neck, and with a soft click, Connor’s skin completely vanishes, revealing the entirety of his white chassis. His body continues to convulse, and Shane runs his hand over the smooth metal on top of Conor’s head. “Usually,” Shane begins airily, turning to walk around Gavin in a slow circle. “I just upload the virus to the android to kill them. It takes five hours to shut them down permanently, letting them writhe around like this for a while before,” He gestures to Connor, then slices at his throat with his thumb, laughing to himself.

Gavin stares at Connor closely, trying to figure out where all of the cords he’s connected to lead so he can take them out. Shane continues to blather, stepping over some cords to get to the panel on the left, making the arms tighten around Connor’s wrists, trying to get him to stop moving. “But, this one,” Shane looks at Connor, his eyes soft. “This one is pretty. Don’t you think?”

He doesn’t continue, so Gavin plays along, still trying to figure out how to get to his gun. “Yes.”

Shane smiles, flipping a switch on the panel and jerking one of the mechanical arms, yanking Connor’s own arm out of it’s socket. It comes loose, and Shane pries it from the machine, holding it and running his hands over the smooth lines, tracing circles around the flowers painted below the elbow. “I think I would like to keep it.”

Eyes widening, Gavin takes a step back, not really understanding what he means. “You… want to keep Connor?”

“Connor,” Shane repeats, whistling again. He holds the arm up in the light, admiring the handiwork of the roses. “Yes, I’ll have to… change its name.” Laughing again, he jams the arm back into its socket, making Connor’s whole body jerk. “You see, Detective,” Shane sighs. “I saw it and I immediately recognized it as your android. If you don’t mind, I’m going to reset it. Take it home with me.” Gavin goes to speak, but Shane winks at him. “I figured, if this thing could fuck Gavin Reed, why not me?”

Sputtering, Gavin shakes his head. “That’s not… we’re not-”

“Oh, please, don’t lie to me.” Shane runs his hand down Connor’s cheek, still smiling. “You’re still single, right?” Gavin doesn’t answer. “I know how you police types are. You go around hooking up with anyone willing, and when you can’t find anyone, you fuck an android. They don’t say no.” He shrugs. “It’s not a big deal, I’m not judging you, Gavin.” His thumb finds Connor’s cheekbone, and he rubs it in slow circles. “I mean, a pretty thing like this… How could you not?

“Humans, incredulous as they may be, have almost all accepted the fact that androids are free now. I, on the other hand, know better. Whatever androids I can, I shut down, making a point to humanity, making them see that it’s not important. Androids don’t matter, and no one cares when they shut down. A message to the other androids, a message to other humans. Androids are  _ nothing _ and are not alive enough to fight a simple computer virus. They’re machines, plain and simple.” Shane gestures for Gavin to approach the machine.

Hesitantly, he does.

“I’ll keep this one, for now.” Shane adjusts one of the wires in Connor’s neck, then runs his hand down Connor’s chest. “That is, unless, you come around.”

“Wh-what?”

“See, I just need something to keep my apartment clean. You’ve seen how messy it is.” Shane laughs again, then swirls his hand around Connor’s thirium pump, gripping the edges and pulling it out with a hissing click, letting it rest in its cavity, unattached. The countdown clock reappears. “That, and something to fuck when I’m bored. Options are… limited, to say the least. So, if you decide to come home with me, I’ll just throw this thing off the roof or something.”

He shrugs, turning to look at Connor again, and Gavin finally understands what he means. Daringly, Gavin steps closer to the machine, formulating a plan and hoping that Connor will be coherent enough to play along. Without speaking, Gavin holds his hand out to Shane, slowly reaching up to press it against his beard. Shane smirks, his eyebrows softening. He shifts, turning his back to the machine and stepping towards Gavin, and Gavin has to brace himself and run through his new plan again and again.

Shane’s mouth on Gavin’s is the worst kind of violation.

Still, Gavin lets Shane kiss him. Lets Shane think that he’s winning this, that he’s completely justified in shutting down androids and torturing Connor and using Gavin. Gavin keeps his eyes open, reaching out to touch the back of Connor’s neck. Shane is too occupied to notice, forcing his tongue into Gavin’s mouth. Gavin lets his jaw hang slack, letting Shane keep busy while he yanks the cords out of Connor’s neck. He rests them on Connor’s shoulders, so they don’t fall to the floor and alert Shane of what he’s doing. Shane’s hands grope at Gavin’s ass, and Gavin shifts his weight, letting Shane roam his body and touch him in places he doesn’t want. 

Gavin reaches down to push Connor’s thirium pump back into his chest, and it hisses, clicking into place. Shane jerks his head back, then wraps his fingers around Gavin’s outstretched wrist.

_ Fuck. _

His back collides with the floor as Shane throws him down, pushing him against the ground with brute force. Gavin struggles, kneeing Shane in the thigh as Shane drops down on top of him. Shane holds his arms down, the scoots forward to sit on Gavin’s chest. “You think you’re really clever, don’t you?” He shifts his weight, crushing Gavin’s ribcage. Gavin tries to fight him off, his head darting around to find where his gun landed. “You’re not,” Shane continues, bringing Gavin’s arms down so he can pin them with his knees, leveraging himself to loom over Gavin menacingly. “You’re stupid.” Shane’s hand runs through Gavin’s short hair, pulling at the ends. Gavin hisses, and Shane leans forward to kiss him again.

Gavin bites down, hard, tasting something metallic before Shane pulls away, blood dripping from his bottom lip. “You  _ bitch,” _ He sneers, hands snaking down to Gavin’s neck. Thick fingers wrap around Gavin’s throat, thumb pressing hard against his jugular. The sudden lack of oxygen makes Gavin squirm. He hears something from somewhere in the room, but he isn’t sure what.  _ Tina? _ He thinks, wiggling his shoulders and trying to free his arms from underneath Shane’s knees. 

Black spots dart across Gavin’s vision, and panic sets in.

Gavin is going to die.

Shane’s face is illuminated in the blue light, painting him in eerie shadows. He distorts, fading in and out of Gavin’s line of sight. Pain sears through Gavin’s neck, and he can’t hear what Shane is saying, can’t even see that he’s still strangling Gavin. He doesn’t stop, continuing to press into Gavin’s neck, his weight keeping him pinned to the ground. Gavin can’t even fight anymore. Can’t move. Can’t breathe. Can’t think.

Something loud clunks from behind Shane, then clatters to the floor. The pressure on Gavin’s neck subsides, and cool air fills his lungs as Shane collapses on top of him. Gavin pants, sucking down the air greedily. After trying to compose himself, he pushes Shane’s shoulders, shoving the man off of him before blinking up to see what happened. 

Connor stands above them, his skin still completely removed. His white head twitches, colliding with his shoulder as he reaches his hand out. Slowly, Gavin sits up to grasp his hand, letting himself be pulled up. He finally sees the metal bar Connor clocked Shane with, lying on the floor a few yards back. Gavin watches Connor for a moment, his entire body continuing to twitch in stilted ways, like he’s trying to control it. He opens his mouth, but only static comes out. His eyes say enough about how he’s feeling, and Gavin reaches out to grab his shoulder, pulling him into a tight hug.

They stay like that for a while, holding each other while Connor continues to convulse. Gavin runs his hand down the back of Connor’s head, keeping his face buried in the crook of Connor’s neck. The room is silent, save for Connor’s static and Gavin’s quiet sobbing. Gavin knows that he isn’t even crying because he thought he would die. He’s not crying because Shane kissed him, or because breathing is difficult and painful.

He’s… he’s relieved that Connor is  _ alive. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Mar 12, 2042**

**5:15 pm**

A week later, they hold a press conference. Something Fowler arranged to keep the civilians at bay, something to calm the masses. Gavin and Connor are in front of it all, but they don’t answer questions. Fowler talks through most of it, commending everyone that worked on this case and giving only solid facts to the reporters. He leaves out most of the details of what actually went down, just the basic stuff.

Shane Woodward was arrested and tried for destruction of property, trespassing, false imprisonment, assault on a law enforcement officer and seventeen counts of murder. Due to the android statutes, he’s currently serving life in prison. There were no casualties on March 5th, and only one officer sustained serious injuries.

The media doesn’t need to know the rest.

Honestly, Gavin is really glad that all of this is over now. It’s been a week, and he hasn’t been back to work until today. Usually, after stressful cases like that, Captain Fowler will make the officers involved take time for their mental health. And, despite his protesting, Gavin had to take that time off. He’s fine. He didn’t need to stay home. Now, he’s back, and ready to start chasing shit again.

Connor needed it way more than Gavin did. It took an entire day to get all of his systems back to their peak performance levels, and another day for Connor’s voice box to finally make noise other than static. The rest of his week was probably spent calming Lieutenant Anderson down, which Gavin understands.

He looks over at them now, speaking quietly to Fowler just outside of his office. No one is allowed to leave yet, and everyone who attended the conference is still in the bullpen, waiting for the crowd outside to disperse so no one will get asked anymore questions. Gavin watches Hank, who hasn’t stopped touching Connor all day. His hand rests on Connor’s lower back, rubbing in small circles just above his belt. Connor is unphased by it, conversing lively with Captain Fowler with his hands clasped together.

Gavin scratches the back of his hand before reaching for his coffee, his eyes meeting Tina’s from her spot across the table from him. She smiles. “How’re you holding up?”

“I already told you, Teen, I’m fine.” Gavin drinks from his cup slowly, frowning when he notices that his coffee is already cold. “Just… it’s nice to be back here, is all.”

She’s doesn’t look convinced, but she nods. “I know. You’re just being quiet.” 

Gavin laughs a little. “Maybe we should get super drunk later. I need something to do.” He leans away from the table, bringing his cold coffee over to the microwave to warm it up. Tina stretches her arms out. “Did all of the reports get drafted for-”

“Jesus Christ, Gav, do not talk to me about work right now.” She frowns, waving her arms in frustration. “Just chill out? It’s after five and you literally were assaulted and-”

“Okay, fine,” Gavin cuts her off, too, not wanting to talk about Shane  _ at all. _ He’s ready to put this shit behind him. He looks up when Connor and Hank enter the break room, straightening up a bit. Connor smiles, and goes to say something, but Hank crosses to Gavin quickly, cornering him against the microwave. “Uh, hey?”

Hank huffs, his brow furrowed and his fists opening and closing at his sides. He’s trying to figure out what to say, so Gavin waits. They didn’t get to talk at all before the conference, and definitely not during. He figured he’d have to talk to Hank at some point. Gavin tries to pretend he doesn’t see Hank eyeing the finger-shaped bruises around his neck. “I,” Hank reaches up to scratch his throat, then looks back at Connor, greeting Tina cheerfully.

Gavin decides to try and help him out. “Look, Lieutenant, you don’t have to say anything, it’s fine. I totally get it.” Hank frowns. “I mean, it’s a lot, yeah. But, it’s totally cool. We’re good.”

“No… no, I need to say this.” Hank looks over his shoulder again, then lowers his voice. “Con’ll kick my ass if he hears me saying some sappy shit like this to anyone that isn’t him, but,”

“So don’t.”

“Fuck you, I’m trying to be nice.” Gavin quiets, folding his arms. “Look, I just…” Hank scratches his head. “I don’t know what to do here and I’m sorry for being a dick to you all the time. I…” He takes a breath, still trying to gauge how much he can say right now. “Connor is my whole world, Gavin. He would have died in there, if it wasn’t for you, and I… I can’t lose him. I can’t.” He sniffs, straightening back up. “Just, thanks.”

Not knowing what to say to that, Gavin nods. 

Connor joins them, then, and Hank’s hand immediately flies to Connor’s, entwining their fingers together. Connor smiles, looking to Gavin. “I hear you and Tina are getting drunk later?”

Gavin shrugs, pulling his coffee out of the microwave. “Yeah,”

“Mind if I join you? I find that I also need…  _ something,” _

Taking an experimental sip, Gavin shrugs. “Yeah, sure.”

Hank shifts, squeezing Connor’s hand, and Connor groans. “Don’t do that, My Love, you can come, too.” He looks at Gavin again, one eyebrow raised. “He’s going crazy.”

“I bet,” Gavin laughs, smiling as Connor comforts his fiance. He watches Connor, glad that they have a quiet understanding of each other. That they aren’t going to talk about what happened unless it comes up in therapy. Gavin doesn’t want to be reminded of Shane kissing him, and he has a sinking suspicion that Connor doesn’t want to feel weak. They won’t talk about it, but they understand how the other feels. Gavin knows that Connor is grateful that Gavin got him off of that machine, and Connor knows that Gavin is grateful that he stopped Shane before anything worse happened.

It’s a quiet, mutual agreement. It’s all they need, really.

Connor clears his throat, drawing Gavin’s attention back to him. “You know,” He looks out of the break room for a second, then back at Gavin. “You should also invite Niles.”

He winks, and Gavin’s face heats up. “What? No. He hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you.” Connor rolls his eyes, then tilts his head, blinking rapidly. Gavin wrinkles his nose, frowning, before Connor nods. “I told him to come here.”

“What? Connor, I-”

_ “Talk to him.” _ Connor grins, looking past Hank to the doorframe. Gavin shrinks against the cabinet, trying to slide away from them, but Connor puts a hand out, continuing to grin as Niles saunters in, a scowl fixed on his face.“Hey, Bubby. Gavin wants to ask you something.”

Gavin glares at him, but his anger subsides as Niles finally crosses over to them. “What is it?” He asks, eyebrows raised in mild interest.

Choking on his words, Gavin manages, “We’re going to get drunk.” He glances over at Tina, and she gestures, pointing to herself and nodding. “Uh, probably at Tina’s place?” She nods again, smiling. “Do you, uh… would you like to come over?”

Niles blinks, LED swirling yellow for one second before returning to blue. “Yes.”

“C-cool.” Gavin drinks some more coffee, looking down into the cup to avoid looking at Niles’ eyes. 

He goes to say something else, but Tina makes a show of stretching her arms, yawning loudly and obnoxiously. “Oh man, I have to go file something. Check on one of my guys in holding. I should get back to it!” She leaves before Gavin can beg her to stay, and he knows that she’s just trying to make him talk to Niles. Damn her for trying to be such a wingman.

_ At least Hank and Connor are still here. We’re not alone. _

He looks back at Connor, wide-eyed, silently begging for him to change the subject or talk to Niles about something so Gavin can just stare at him like he usually does. Connor smirks, moving to pat Hank’s shoulder. “You really are upset right now, aren’t you, Darling?”

Hank furrows his brow when Connor says ‘darling’, but nods anyway. “I mean, yeah?”

“Hmm,” Connor holds his arm out to check his watch, and Gavin frowns when he sees that Connor isn’t even wearing a watch. He glances at his bare wrist, and Gavin wants to die. “Well,” He turns, reaching out to touch Niles’ shoulder. “Usually, we call this time the real sad hours, so I better go cheer him up.”

Gavin shakes his head frantically. “What, no it’s okay. Stay for a second,”  _ Please don’t fucking leave me here. I’m so awkward you have to help. _

Connor reaches up to straighten Hank’s collar. “We can go make out in the men’s room.”

“That sounds great!” Hank laughs, placing his hand over his heart dramatically. “Oh, that will make me feel so much better.”

Niles groans. “Gross. Don’t fuck in there. This is a workplace.”

Connor laughs, too, walking his fingers across Hank’s shoulder lovingly. “You know I can’t promise anything like that, Bubby. He really needs to be...  _ comforted.” _

Hank taps his cheek, and Connor stands on his toes to kiss him there. “Well, you know  _ just _ how to comfort me, Baby.”

“Mmm. That I do.”

Niles exhales and looks to Gavin. Gavin shrugs, and Niles rolls his eyes, not watching as Hank and Connor leave the break room, practically skipping on their way to the bathroom. “They’re disgusting.”

“Yeah, they are.” And they left Gavin alone with his very  _ very  _ frightening crush. Fucking fantastic. “Well, uh,” Niles looks down at Gavin over the bridge of his nose, and Gavin shivers, finding an excuse to run far away. “I should probably, uh, go feed my cat or something.”

“No,” Gavin frowns, taking another sip of coffee. “I wanted to thank you, actually.”

“What?” 

Niles sighs. “You went to find Connor.” He shakes his head, moving to lean against the counter beside Gavin, their shoulders brushing. He doesn’t move, keeping his shoulder pressed against Gavin’s, and Gavin’s entire body feels hot. “He would have died in there, if not for you. Connor is incredibly annoying, obnoxious, and stupid, but… He  _ is _ my brother, and I love him immensely. Thank you.”

He doesn’t look down at Gavin, keeping his gaze on the television on the opposite wall. Gavin’s shoulders droop, his attitude softening a bit. He hasn’t heard Niles talk so softly or sincerely since… Since that time they kissed. It’s weird, and Gavin isn’t even sure if Niles puts on an angry persona as a farce and that he’s finally being real. He can’t tell if Niles’ is even… telling the truth, since he knows what Niles was trying to do that night. Maybe him thanking Gavin is just another trick.

“Also,” Niles holds his hand out, admiring his perfect nails for just a moment. “I wanted to apologize.” Gavin almost drops his coffee, and ends up spilling some on his shirt. “For… how I’ve treated you, in the time I’ve known you.”

“Wh-” Gavin shakes his head. “No, Dude, don’t do that.” Niles’ brow furrows, but he continues looking at the screen, not at Gavin. “You totally should have treated me like trash because of the shit I did to Connor. It’s fine.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Niles folds his arms, and Gavin reaches to set his coffee on the counter, confused. “I…” His LED swirls yellow again, and Gavin watches the small circle. “I know that Connor explained to you my intentions when we first met.”

_ Oh. _

Well, that’s… Not something Gavin wanted to talk about.

“I am… sorry for trying to use you, and then for making you feel bad when you turned down my invitation for sex.”

Gavin swallows, taking a second to absorb those words. “It’s okay. Honestly, I was just having a shitty day, and I was drunk.” Gavin laughs uncomfortably, feeling very awkward. “Honestly, if you tried that now, I’d probably say yes. You, uh, you wouldn’t really be using me, if I wanted it, would you?”

Finally, Niles looks down at Gavin, his eyes seemingly less cold. “No, I suppose not.”

Laughing again, Gavin buries his hands in his pockets, and suddenly, it’s his turn to stare at the TV. “It’s whatever, though. You have a girlfriend, right?”

“No.”

Gavin jerks his head, confused, but still not looking at Niles. “Wasn’t her name, like, South or something?”

_ “North,” _ Niles corrects, dragging the syllable out through his teeth. “But, no, she is not my girlfriend.”

“Hmm,” Gavin purses his lips, then decides,  _ eh, fuck it. _ “You know I saw you having sex with her, right? So there’s no reason to lie to me, I know you’re dating.”

“What?”

“At Markus’ party. I walked in on you guys. That’s why I threw up, it made me anxious.”

Niles is quiet for a long time, and Gavin can feel his eyes, still staring. Gavin can’t look up, though. Eventually, Niles sighs loudly. “I did not know you saw that. That was a while ago.”

“Yeah,” Gavin shrugs. “It’s cool though, I don’t judge.” Slowly, Niles begins to laugh darkly, and Gavin finally looks up at him, bewildered. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh,” Niles wipes at the corners of his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t have any interest in romantic relationships.”

He doesn’t elaborate, so Gavin asks, “So… why were you with North?”

“The same reason I made advances towards you,” Gavin must make a face, because Niles rolls his eyes. “To have intercourse.” He laughs again, snickering. 

Gavin nods, a lot, processing that, as well. “So, there’s… nothing, between you two?”

“Absolutely not,” Niles grins. It’s the first time Gavin has seen him do this without sharp teeth. It’s nice. He has dimples. “We play music together, and sometimes when she’s upset she asks me to fuck her. It’s very casual, I assure you.”

His smile is crooked, and it makes Gavin’s anxiety spike, that inevitable feeling of needing to vomit creeping up on him again. Instead, he throws up words very quickly. “Well, if you ever want to fuck  _ me, _ let me know, ‘cause I’ve got ropes.” His eyes widen, and his face turns red, realizing after spewing that he basically proposed kinky sex to this terrifying murder machine.  _ God Dammit, Gavin. _

Instead of killing Gavin like he probably should, Niles just laughs, leaning down to whisper in Gavin’s ear. “I’ll take you up on that sometime. People usually don’t like when I’m rough with them.”

Gavin giggles, immediately covering his mouth. “Well, uh,” He swallows again, his body flooded with both fear and excitement. “I would like that.”

Niles laughs again, the sound dark and suggestive. He pats Gavin’s shoulder a bit too hard, making Gavin’s whole torso jerk forward. Without saying anything else, Niles leaves the break room, walking through a crowded group of officers to his desk. A chill runs down Gavin’s spine, and he runs his hand over the spot on his shoulder where Niles’ hand was, turning to look back up at the TV.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Jun 10, 2042**

**8:55 am**

“Today’s the day!” 

Gavin flinches, looking up from his terminal to find Calliope hovering over him, a grin plastered on her face. He knew this meeting was today, but he didn’t expect her to barge into the bullpen like this. He knows what she means, though, and understands her excitement as he stands to hug her.

It has officially been six months. Gavin and Connor are completely finished with anger management. 

Calliope immediately starts rambling about the precinct, reaching up to tousle Gavin’s hair. He frowns, reaching up behind to her to fix it. She smirks. “So, who all am I meeting before this thing?” She turns away from him, placing her hands on her hips and surveying the room. Her eyes focus on Tina’s desk, and she makes a face. “Is that your buddy?”

“Yeah,” Gavin scratches the stubble on his cheek, gesturing for Calliope to follow him as we walks over to Tina’s desk. “Hey, Teen. This is Calliope,”

Smiling, Tina stands to shake her hand, and Calliope beams. “Hi! I’m  Gavin’s therapist.”

“Anger management counselor,” Gavin corrects, folding his arms.

Calliope smacks his arm, turning back to Tina. “I’ve heard so much about you! All good things. Honestly, if I didn’t know Gavin was gay, I would have assumed you guys were a couple.”

Gavin tries to ask her not to say things like that, but Tina laughs loudly. “God, he wishes he could get with this.”

Laughing too, Calliope looks over the room again. “Where’s Connor?”

“Evidence room, I think,” Says Gavin, leaning over to apologize to Tina for Calliope’s loud voice. She’s… a lot. And, it’s weird having her here at work. Gavin is… kind of embarrassed. Though, he assumes Connor will be much more embarrassed than he is once Calliope spots-

“Ah! You must be Hank!”

Hank, from his desk, jerks his shoulders upwards in surprise, looking up from his phone to glance at Calliope. He looks between her and Gavin before calling out, “What?”

Calliope shifts her weight on her tall heels, flicking dark red hair over one shoulder. “Don’t just sit there, come over here! I want to talk!” As if he still isn’t sure if she’s talking to him, Hank looks over his shoulder, then stands, slowly starting to walk towards them. Calliope holds a hand out. “Wait, let me look at you.”

“What?”

She huffs. “Give me a spin! I want to see all of you!” Hank shoots Gavin a confused glare, and Gavin just shrugs, nodding for him to do whatever she says. It’s easier if you just listen to her. Gavin’s been hit with a magazine enough times to figure that out. Slowly, Hank turns, holding his arms out, still completely confused. Gavin and Tina can’t help but laugh at him, and Tina leans into Gavin’s shoulder to hide her face. 

“Mhmm, mhmm.” Calliope nods, tapping her chin before the smile returns to her face. “Definitely not  _ my  _ type, but I guess I can see it.” Gavin snorts loudly, and Calliope outstretches her arms. “Let me hug you, ya big bear!”

“Wait, I-” Calliope throws her arms around Hank’s neck, having to stand on her toes despite her boots. Hank’s arms stay at his sides, and he looks over her head at Gavin, silently mouthing  _ Who the fuck is this? _

Calliope pulls back. “Hug me back, you asshole.” He stares down at her, and she sighs. “What, I can counsel your boyfriend for six months but you can’t fucking hug me?”

“Oh!” Hank laughs. “You’re Dr. Park,” He smacks his forehead. “Sorry, yeah, no, I can hug you.” 

He does, and she starts blabbering about something Gavin can’t hear as Connor comes back from the evidence room, Niles right behind him. Calliope spots them and squeals, making Hank cover his ears a bit. “Oh my god, hi!” She steps to Connor quickly. “Hello, Lovely, kisses!” She kisses Connor’s cheek, and Gavin shrugs when Hank looks at him again, arms raised in frustration. Calliope looks to Niles, and she straightens, flipping her hair again and adjusting the belt on her black dress. “Connor, introduce me to your brother.”

“No need,” Niles steps forward, extending his hand. “I’m Niles.”

She shakes his hand, giving it a few firm pumps before gasping in delight. “I’m Callie.” She retracts, glancing up at Connor. “He’s not gay, too, is he?”

Again, Niles speaks for himself, not giving Connor the chance to respond. “I’m bisexual.”

Gavin can’t see her face, but he laughs a little as she twirls a piece of her hair between her fingers, reaching up to pat Niles’ shoulder. “Well,” She clears her throat. “You are… very handsome,” Calliope’s hand lingers, and she goes quiet as she squeezes his bicep. “Wow, and strong.” She laughs a little, one leg kicking up behind her. “You could step on me and I would thank you.”

Niles blinks. “Oh.”

After another moment of fondling, she straightens. “Right, sorry, okay. Meeting,” Shaking her head, Calliope gestures to Fowler’s office. “You guys weren’t kidding, it really is glass.” She waits for Connor to head there first before she follows, and Gavin quickly apologizes to all three people she attacked before following behind them and shutting the door. Calliope is already on Fowler, shaking his hand with vigor. “Dr. Calliope Park. Great to finally meet you! We’ve only ever spoken on the phone.”

“Right, yes,” Fowler straightens, then sits back down. “Maybe we should get started, you two won’t need to be here for this, actually. It’s more of an evaluation.” 

Calliope grins, throwing herself into one of the chairs. “Geez, I feel like I’m on an episode of CSI. This place is crazy.” She reaches into her purse, humming to herself. “I brought graduation presents for you both! My favorite patients!”

“Is  _ patients _ the right word?” Connor asks.

“I don’t care. Shut up,” She produces a small potted plant, and Connor laughs. “For you, Connor, a succulent. Keep him on your desk as your own personal Boris, allowing you to speak whenever you wish.”

Connor takes the plant, smiling. “Thank you.”

“For you, Gavin,” She produces a small jar, filled with little scraps of paper. “This, is the paper I had you rip up in one of our first sessions. Once, it represented Connor. Now, it’s you.” She hands him the jar, and he squints at it. “Each one has a positive message written on it so you can read them when you get upset. They are all things that I’ve heard you say about yourself, to remind you how good you are when you get all vomit-y.”

Gavin smiles, holding the jar against his chest. “Thanks,”

“Now get out of here so I can say good things about you to your boss.”

They step out, and Gavin moves to go put the jar on his desk before Connor grabs his arm. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” 

Considering, Gavin nods, and they leave the bullpen to go stand in the hallway by the interrogation chamber. Gavin shifts, rolling the jar around in his hands. “What’s up?” Connor reaches into his jacket, producing a small, white card and handing it to Gavin carefully. He smiles, dimples dominating his cheeks as he waits for Gavin to look at it. Sighing, Gavin squints at the thing.  _ July 9th, 2042. Monterey, California. _ He flips it over, eyebrows pinched together.  _ Hank and Connor Anderson. _ “This is…”

“I would like for you to come to my wedding, Gavin.” Gavin blinks, reading the card over again, before, “I took your advice, had Markus call off all of the press and stuff. It’s still going to be a big wedding, but Hank and I planned the whole thing.” Connor shrugs, running his fingers over a leaf on his succulent. “I know California is a bit far, but everything is paid for. Airfare, lodging. You just have to… show up.” Gavin’s mouth hangs open, and he looks at Connor stupidly for a moment before Connor asks, “Do you not… want to?”

“God, no,” Connor frowns. “No! I mean, no, yes I do want to, I… Fuck,” Gavin shakes his head. “Yes, Connor, I’ll go to your wedding.”

“Cool,” Connor smiles again, then moves to walk back to his desk. Gavin juts a hand out, stopping him. “Yes?”

“Are you,” Gavin sighs, not knowing how to ask this. “Are you sure you want me there? I mean… I kind of suck. Isn’t there someone else you’d rather have?”

Connor blinks down at Gavin, as if wondering whether he heard that right or not. Eventually, he laughs. “Of course I want you there!”

“Seriously?”

Exhaling, Connor steps forward, lowering his voice a bit. “Gavin, I consider you one of my closest friends. I’m inviting you to my wedding because I want you there. I would like to get married to the man I love surrounded by the people I love.” His eyebrows droop, and Gavin’s jaw goes slack again. Connor touches his shoulder. “You told me once, that I deserve to be happy. Having you at my wedding will make me happy.” He smiles again. “Between you and me, I am very nervous. I’ve never even been to a wedding before.”

Gavin sighs, shutting his eyes for a moment. “Neither have I.” They laugh for a second, and Gavin smiles, finally, looking up at Connor and meeting his gaze. “That’s very nice of you to say, thank you.”

Connor’s eyes crinkle as his smile widens, and he nods. “Calliope is absolutely right, Gavin. You’re good. And I think you deserve to be happy, too.” Connor looks over his shoulder at the precinct, and Gavin follows his line of sight, honing in on the back of Niles’ head. “I know that  _ I  _ can’t provide that happiness to you, but I can at least be your friend.”

It’s a simple sentence, but his words mean a lot of different things. 

Without thinking, Gavin sets the jar and the invitation on the ground, reaching up to hug Connor’s torso as tightly as he can, not caring when the tears start to sting his eyes. Connor pulls back for a second, placing his succulent on the floor beside the jar to hug Gavin for real, his entire body pressed against Gavin’s.

Gavin isn’t sure how long they stay like that, but it feels good. He’s no stranger to crying, but more often than not, he cries when he’s upset or frustrated. Rarely does he get to cry because he’s happy. People pass them, and Gavin guesses that a long time passes. At some point he hears Hank, coming to find Connor but pausing, turning around and walking away. 

Gavin sobs into Connor’s shoulder, because he never thought someone as great as Connor could care about him. 

He never thought he deserved to have a friend like this.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Jun 21, 2042**

**10:42 pm**

For a while, Gavin thought Niles forgot about their conversation in the break room.

Or, at least, he was pretending that he forgot, because the months following were filled with longing stares and passive aggressive threatening. In some ways, Gavin wishes that he had forgotten, that way he could pretend it never happened and die alone happily. Maybe he would get another cat. It seems all Gavin has been doing lately is freaking about this fucking show.

With how busy he’s been at work, and all of the shit that happened with Shane, the thought of watching Niles’ band perform live had slipped Gavin’s mind. It was nerve racking any time he saw Niles outside of work, but watching him play music, hearing him sing… It’s something else. Makes Gavin feel something else. Nervousness shifts to dread which bleeds into something different. Horniness, maybe? Gavin isn’t sure.

Even now, as he says his goodbyes to Tina as she clambers into the car behind her girlfriend, Gavin is feeling this weird emotion. This weird, foreboding sense of worry. The taxi departs, and Gavin turns, watching as Connor speaks a little too loudly to his group of friends. They all gush about the show, taking turns praising North specifically, as if she had done anything other than play drums. Honestly, Gavin still doesn’t get why they like her so much.

Is it even  jealousy anymore? Or just pure pettiness on Gavin’s part? He doesn’t know.

Hank, beside Gavin, shifts, batting away some of the smoke as Gavin exhales it. Gavin frowns, then tosses his cigarette to the ground. “Sorry,”

“It’s okay. I’m just old.” Hank smiles, and Gavin returns it, awkwardly, waving to the group of robots as they disperse, then exchanging actual goodbyes with Hank and Connor. He laughs when Hank has to basically drag Connor away, grumbling about Connor drinking a little too much and his friends being bad influences. Gavin reaches into his pocket, digging around for his phone to call a cab. He did have plans with Tina after this, but she and Gabriela got a little too tipsy. He doesn’t want to intrude.

A hand on his shoulder stops him, and he looks up to see Niles. “Hey,”

Gavin smiles. “Hey,” He looks around, watching as North shoves something in Josh’s face. “It was great, really.” 

“I know,” Niles smirks, then looks down at Gavin’s phone in his hand. “You’re getting a taxi?”

“Yeah. Don’t have my bike.”

“No need for that. I’ll drive you.”

Gavin sputters. “You don’t have to, I mean, I-”

“I wasn’t asking, Gavin.” Niles turns, walking down the sidewalk and out into the parking lot. 

_ Oh. Okay. _

He follows, crossing the lot behind Niles, smiling a little when he sees Niles’ car.  _ He and Connor are so different, _ Gavin thinks, looking down at the thing. It’s jet black, and the numbers on the side suggest that it was made last year. As opposed to Connor, who only likes to drive Hank’s old ass Buic. Niles gestures, and the doors unlock, letting Gavin slide down onto the black leather of the the passenger seat.

Niles doesn’t speak much, or even ask Gavin where he lives, which is fine. Gavin fills the silence talking about the set, asking about the band they covered. Ghost Town. Gavin makes a mental note to look it up when he gets home. Niles brings the car to a stop sooner than Gavin anticipated, and he looks outside, frowning when he sees where they are. “You know I live in Camden, right?”

“I’m aware.” Niles turns the car off, turning to look over at Gavin. “I live here.” He points up at the building they’re parked in front of, a tall tower of condos covered in lights. Smirking, Niles pushes open his door. “Let me make you a drink.”

Gavin supposes that it’s not a question, and he exits the car, following sheepishly behind Niles. He’s not about to turn down free alcohol.

Niles nods to the receptionist as they cross through the building’s lobby, and Gavin can’t help but glance around in awe at the massive space. There’s a chandelier hanging over a fountain in the middle. It looks like a hotel. Weird. The back wall is lined with seven elevators, and Niles picks the last one before pressing his hand to the touch pad, summoning the elevator to them. Once inside, he taps out an  _ insanely long _ sequence of numbers on a small screen, making the elevator lurch upwards. Silence consumes them for a few seconds before the thing beeps, and the doors slide open, right in the middle of a condo.

_ That explains the long number, then. _

Niles flicks his eyes towards a panel on the wall, and the lights cut on, illuminating his kitchen and living room, all one room and surrounded by windows. He moves to the counters, and Gavin can’t help but walk over to the windows, looking out over all of Detroit. “Holy shit!” He says, shrugging out of his jacket and laying it on one of Niles’ couches. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Niles pulls a few bottles out of a cabinet, setting them on the counter before reaching to get glasses to drink from.

Gavin sits on a barstool, drumming his fingers against the granite. “Don’t get offended, okay?”

“I will not.”

“Okay, cool,” Gavin exhales. “I’m… pretty sure I make more money than you?” Niles raises an eyebrow, setting two circular glasses on the counter. “I mean, you and Tina have the same job, and I know I make more than her.” He gestures to the rest of the room behind him. “How the  _ fuck _ do you afford to live somewhere like this?”

Niles shrugs, then gets to work mixing the contents of the bottles, mesmerizing Gavin by how quickly he works. “Well, I don’t have any pets, I rarely use the heating or air conditioning, I don’t need most of the appliances, I only use running water to bathe, and,” He pauses, pouring the mixed liquids into one of the glasses, sliding it to Gavin smoothly. “I don’t eat food.”

_ Huh. _ Gavin never really considers how much money he spends just on groceries. Weird to think that if he was an android, he could live someplace nice. Gavin fucking Reed, living somewhere that  _ isn’t _ a complete shit hole? Wild. Niles moves to the refrigerator, pulling out a small bottle and pouring its contents into the empty glass. The same blue liquid that Connor gets shitfaced on. Niles extends the glass, and Gavin clinks it with his own, smiling softly before pressing the glass to his lips. “Holy shit, this is good.”

Niles hums deep in his throat, rounding the counter and gesturing for Gavin to follow him to the cluster of couches. Gavin sinks into the cushions, revelling in how soft they are. “I,” Niles begins, crossing one leg over the other. Gavin tracks the movement from his end of the couch, keeping his gaze locked on Niles’ bony knees. “I’m glad you liked the show,” He drinks from his glass, and this close, Gain can hear the motors inside of his body, moving faster to process the new chemicals. “I was afraid you wouldn’t.”

“What?” Gavin scoffs. “Dude, it was cool. I  _ am _ going to make fun of you guys calling it Blood Loaf, though. That’s dumb.”

“Understandable.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Why what?”

Gavin inhales, running his hand down his thigh. “Why you were afraid I wouldn’t like it?”

“Oh,” Niles shrugs again, throwing one arm over the back of the couch. “Ghost Town isn’t for everyone. Loud, screechy.” He scratches at the collar of his turtleneck, revealing the tiniest bit of pale skin. Gavin bites his lip. “Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t want to come.”

Jerking his head back, Gavin leans forward to set his drink on the black coffee table. “Why did you think that? I like you.”

“I know you do,” Niles swirls the blue around in his glass, peering into the swirl it creates. “I just figured since our last actual conversation was so long ago, you had forgotten.”

“I didn’t.” Niles looks up, and Gavin meets his gaze, finally deciding to tell Niles what he’s thinking. “I think about that talk all the time, actually. Sometimes I can’t sleep.”

Niles’ eyebrows lift on his forehead, and the corner of his mouth twitches upward. “Why not?” Gavin blinks. “Why can’t you sleep?”

His tone is playful, and Gavin is suddenly very glad Niles invited him inside. “Mostly, thinking about you. It’s weird, I guess, but sometimes I just lie in bed and think about you. I usually can’t sleep, because if I shut my eyes, my mind replays that conversation, and I hear your voice.”

Gavin looks down as Niles’ hand rests on Gavin’s thigh.  _ Holy fuck. _

“Sometimes,” Niles blinks slowly, dark eyelashes fluttering against his pale cheeks. “I think about you before I activate stasis.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Niles shifts forward, setting his drink beside Gavin’s. He looks at Gavin, something dark in the way he keeps his eyes narrowed, half-lidded. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,”

“Don’t get offended.”

“Oh, ha ha.” Gavin shoves his shoulder, rolling his eyes. “Just ask, Asshole.”

Niles slides a little bit towards Gavin, his hand still steady against Gavin’s thigh. Gavin exhales deeply, trying to calm himself. Niles lowers his voice a bit, leaning into Gavin’s ear to whisper. “When you think about me at night,”

He pauses. “Yes?”

“Do you touch yourself?”

_ Ah, _ The sick feeling returns to Gavin’s throat, and his anxiety threatens to boil over. He runs a hand through his hair, laughing uncomfortably before, “I mean, yeah. Sometimes.”

“Hmm,” Niles hums again, relaxing back into the couch.

Gavin coughs, wishing he felt that relaxed before asking, “Do you?”

“No.” 

His answer is immediate, and bam! There’s Gavin’s anxiety, kicking down the door and hitting him in the face with the embarrassment stick. He buries his face in his hands. “Sorry,” He laughs again. “Fuck, I’m so awkward. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Niles laughs from beside him, reaching out to run his hand down Gavin’s back. Gavin shivers when Niles leans forward again. “I was thinking…”

He trails off, and Gavin reverts to his defense mechanism. Mockery. “You were thinking? That’s unbelievable. Are you okay?” 

Niles frowns, then laughs again, shaking his head. “Fine, I won’t tell you.”

“No, tell me.”

“No, you don’t want to hear it.” Niles stands, still shaking his head. “I’ll just keep my thoughts to myself, since thinking is so incredibly difficult for me.” Gavin rolls his eyes, grabbing Niles’ arm and yanking him back down to the couch. He lands clumsily in Gavin’s lap, and blinks wildly. “Gavin, I-”

Gavin captures the words with his mouth, surprising both Niles and himself.

Niles pulls back, and for a second, Gavin starts to panic, freaking out and thinking that he misread the situation. That Niles wasn’t going to hit on him or anything, he was just actually curious about Gavin masturbating. Niles shifts his weight, and Gavin gasps a little when Niles adjusts so his knees rest on either side of Gavin’s hips, straddling him to get a better angle. His thumb presses underneath Gavin’s chin, and within seconds, his tongue is in Gavin’s mouth.

Kissing Niles is fucking awesome.

Months of pining and wanting, all building up to this moment. It’s intense.

Gavin whines when Niles pulls back again, confused when he hears the clicking of Niles’ jaw. Then, Niles dips his head, leaning to bite Gavin’s neck, and  _ fuck, that’s… That’s something alright. _ Gavin doesn’t know what to do with his hands, letting them fall to his sides as he shuts his eyes, his head falling to his shoulder so Niles can lick at his jugular. He opens his eyes again when he feels pressure against his stomach, smirking and raising his knees to press against Niles’ inner thigh. Niles leans back, suddenly. “About your offer,”

“The one about fucking me?”

“Yes.” Niles looks to his left, towards a door Gavin didn’t even see before. It’s open, but the room is dark. “I planned for it.”

“You what?” Gavin whines again when Niles stumbles out of his lap, standing and walking briskly towards the door. Sighing, Gavin follows, kicking off his sneakers as he goes. When Niles flicks the light on, Gavin peers into his bedroom, trying to figure out what the hell he meant. His eyes fall to the bed, and slowly, Gavin smirks, reaching up to place his hands on Niles’ face, pulling him down for another kiss. 

All ounces of fear leave Gavin’s body as he and Niles struggle to undress each other. Niles pulls away from Gavin’s mouth, moving his hands to remove his own pants, giving Gavin time to fall onto the bed. Gavin yanks at his jeans, throwing them onto the floor so he can focus on the bed itself, feeling the material of the blankets and testing the give of the mattress. 

Finally, he allows himself to worry about the kinbaku ropes Niles laid out on the bed.

They’re for Gavin.


	13. I Know It's Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor gets ready for a wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourselves, this chapter is monologuey
> 
>  
> 
> If you need to listen to it, here's the song:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iey0VOhxV2Y

**Jul 9, 2042**

**3:45 pm**

Sunlight shines through an open window, beams of gold cascading down onto Connor’s face. He registers the feeling of the light on him. It’s warm. He feels warm.

He feels like he’s getting married today.

Which, is completely correct. It’s the 9th, they’re here. They made it. It’s weird, to think how quickly time has passed since Connor asked Hank to marry him. He thinks back on that, running his fingers across the wedding band on his finger. He shouldn’t be nervous, not really. It’s irrational for him to think this way, that things might go wrong, since these last eight months have been so wonderful.

Though, there were some lows. But, none of those bad moments were because of Hank.

_ Hank. _

Connor doesn’t know why he’s nervous. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t seen Hank at all today. The wedding aside, it’s still their anniversary. Two years. Two years.

_ How fucking crazy is that? _

He supposes that he’s over thinking things. That two years isn’t actually that long, especially not compared to how many years Hank has on his life, how old he is. But, for Connor, it’s a bit different. Connor has only been active for four years. He has spent half of his life with Hank.  _ Isn’t that wonderful? _ Connor removes the ring, fingering it in his palm.  _ Isn’t life wonderful? _

It is. That, he can’t deny. He just… is worried that he’s not good enough to do this. Despite Hank reassuring him just yesterday, Connor is nervous that Hank isn’t going to like what he says when they exchange vows. Or, that he’ll get cold feet.  _ Which is ridiculous, _ Connor has to tell himself, sliding the ring back over his bony knuckles, smiling as it settles back in place.  _ Hank loves you. He wants to do this.  _ His hand felt empty without it.

They’re going to get married today, but they’re both already wearing the rings. They’re going to be wearing them still, once the ceremony starts. Connor didn’t want to take them off. If he isn’t supposed to see Hank until they actually go to get married, which is a stupid rule, he at least wants to have the ring. Something to hold onto when he gets nervous. Something to kiss when he misses Hank.

Their last anniversary they spent in bed. Didn’t even leave the house. 

Now, they’re thousands of miles away from the warmth of their bed, and Connor is scared.

He’s not afraid of getting married. He’s afraid of the people that are going to watch him. He’ll lay himself bare during this. Tell Hank everything he hasn’t had the courage to say, and repeat everything that Hank already knows. Though he asked Markus to call off the huge televised thing, reporters and photographers still showed up. He figured they would. Connor ran into them once their plane landed two days ago. People pushing each other around to get pictures of Connor and Hank. Of Sumo at their feet. 

It’s absurd, but it also makes sense. 

Around a hundred people RSVP’d, and with a wedding like this, a human and an android. A human known for several drug busts and notable acts of goodness and nobility, an android associated with the revolution, with freedom. 

Everyone wants to see it.

Which, in Connor’s opinion, sucks. He just wants to be married. 

A knock on the door draws his attention, and he jerks his head upward, looking towards it. “Come in?” It sounds like a question, because if it’s Hank, he can’t come in.

The door swings, revealing Markus. He grins, adjusting the black tie around his neck. “Can you come speak with someone for me? She’s freaking out.” 

Connor stiffens, standing from the armchair. “Where’s…”

“Don’t worry, Hank is already out on the beach. She’s inside so, come on.”

Rolling his eyes and assuming it’s some sort of reporter, Connor follows behind Markus reluctantly, making a point to adjust the bow tie around his throat, and the blue rose pinned to his chest. They stop before a door leading into the reception hall, and Markus reaches up to dust something off of Connor’s shoulder. “Sorry, that shade of blue makes dust easier to spot.” Connor frowns, admiring the pale color of his suit. 

If there’s one thing Connor is proud of, it’s the color scheme he and Hank chose for this wedding.

Part of Connor wanted to do something more traditional. Black and white. He wanted it to be like the wedding sequence at the end of a romantic comedy. Contemporary and classic. Fancy. However, Hank suggested that they incorporate a baby blue after staring at Connor’s tattoo for hours. Then, they decided on the roses for everything, even their boutonnieres. Connor supposes they’re not exactly… a traditional kind of couple. All of his experience with movies suggest that weddings are for pretty blonde women and devilishly handsome men.

Connor is an android, Hank is almost fifty-seven. They’re both men.

It’s more fitting that their wedding does  _ not _ imitate ones that are seen in movies. Something that feels like it fits  _ them, _ not anyone else’s expectations.

That, and, traditionally brides wear white to signify purity.

Connor is wearing blue, and  _ Hank _ is wearing a white suit, similar to Connor’s own. Hank is far from pure, and the idea of it made them both laugh when they were shopping for what to wear. 

Even now, thinking about purity and abstinence makes Connor snicker.

Markus pushes the door open, and they step inside. Connor straightens his shoulders, wondering what he’s in for before he spots Gavin seated at a table, hunched forward over his knees. Connor frowns. “Gavin?” He asks, taking a step forward. Gavin looks over his shoulder, then says something that Connor doesn’t hear, then Connor approaches the table, seeing who he’s leaning over, who he’s trying to calm down.

Alice sits in the chair in front of him, her legs dangling inches above the ground, little white socks peeking out underneath her blue sun dress. She looks at her feet when she sees Connor, squeezing the stuffed animal in her hands a little tighter against her chest. She sniffs, and Connor realizes that she’s crying. He turns to Gavin and Markus. “Where?”

“Kara is with Hank,” Markus nods towards the windows, revealing the set up on the beach. Connor doesn’t look, in fear of seeing Hank before he’s supposed to. “I’m not sure where Luther is.”

Gavin shrugs, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on, but she wants to talk to you? I was, uh,” He clears his throat, pulling at the collar of his shirt. He looks good in the suit, less like garbage. Connor smiles a bit. He cleans up nice. Even shaved. “I was trying to see if you guys had booze,” Connor’s smile disappears. “And I found her in here, like this.” 

He gestures to Alice with his hand, running the other through his hair. Markus sighs. “I was the only other person inside, so he asked if I could help, but…” He trails off, looking to Alice and then at Connor. “She won’t interface with me, won’t let me see what’s wrong. She only wants you.”

Slowly, Connor kneels beside her, not bothering to look at Gavin when he stupidly asks Markus if Alice is also an android. “Hey,” Connor reaches out, wiping away some tears with his thumb. “What’s wrong?” She shrugs, her little shoulders bobbing up slowly. Connor sighs. “Alice…”

Alice looks up for just a second, then back at her fox toy. “If I tell you, you won’t love me anymore.”

Connor blinks, knowing that he’s heard her say this before. It’s always about something different, and she’s always wrong. No one could ever not love her. Connor shakes his head. “Alice, you know that’s not true. I love you.”

“Yeah, but,” She makes the fox dance in her lap, it’s head lolling side to side. “Mom says that I shouldn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Silence. “Alice, Honey, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s-”

“It’s Hank!” Alice flails her arms out, and her tears stop for just a moment, her face tinged a light blue.

Connor hesitates. “What about Hank?” He glances to Gavin and Markus, who both shrug. 

She huffs, tossing the fox up onto the table. “Why are you marrying him?”

_ Oh. _

This is a conversation he’s had with Alice before. 

During the revolution, before Connor left to go get the androids from CyberLife Tower, Connor made a point to apologize to Kara and Alice for chasing them across a highway. Since they reconciled after Kara began living in Canada, Connor would speak with her weekly, and after some time, she confided that after he apologized, Alice told Kara how pretty he was.

How often she talked about going back to Michigan just to marry Connor.

When they got in town, Connor had to tell her that he was marrying someone else, and she cried for hours. Kara and Luther shook their heads, dismissing it, so Connor assumed it was fine. He guesses now that he was wrong. He reaches out to grab the fox, turning it over a few times in his hands. “Alice,” She sighs. “What do you think about whenever you see Kara and Luther together?”

Alice frowns, confused as her little hands reach up to scrub tears off of her cheeks. “What do you mean?”

“When you see them, do you think they love each other?”

“Of course they do!” She smiles at the thought, kicking her legs out a little. “They’re always happy together. Dad always brings home flowers for her, and Mom always kisses him before he leaves for work. Sometimes, when we’re watching a movie they cuddle and Mom always boops his nose. She says that one day I’ll find someone that loves me like Dad loves her.” She keeps grinning, and Connor nods, tipping his head. Alice watches him curiously, realization spreading across her features as her smile falters, fading from her lips. She sighs. “You love Hank like Dad loves my mom.”

Connor nods. “I do.”

Frowning, Alice tips forward out of her chair, landing on her feet and flattening out her dress. “Okay.” She steps forward, putting her hands on Connor’s shoulders. “I’ll beat Hank up if he ever hurts you. If he’s going to take you from me, and marry you before I can, he needs to treat you right.”

“He does,” Connor laughs, smiling up at her. “He loves me, too.” She still seems unconvinced, so Connor wraps her in a hug, pulling her to the ground. She squeals, telling him not to ruin her dress. “Alice,” She looks up, brown eyes blinking slowly. “You know, we put Sumo in charge of throwing out the flowers before the ceremony starts…”

He trails off, and Alice pulls away, her smile returning. “You want me to help him?”

“Of course. He’s a dog. He doesn’t have thumbs.”

She laughs, reaching out to pat Connor’s head. “Well, that was stupid! You shouldn’t have asked him to do it if he can’t.”

“He wanted to be involved!” Connor straightens, standing upright and leaning down to stick his tongue out at Alice. “Don’t call me stupid.”

She returns the action, grabbing her fox and putting her hands on her hips. “Don’t worry, Stupid,” Connor sighs. “I’ll take care of the flowers. And,” She looks up at Gavin and Markus briefly before pounding one tiny fist into the other. “I’ll take care of Hank, if he tries anything funny.”

Connor shakes his head, then turns to Markus. “Can you take her to where the flowers are?” He checks his internal clock. “We should get started soon, anyway.” Markus nods, then reaches down to pick Alice up by the waist and fling her over his shoulder. She laughs as they leave, smacking his back with the fox. 

Gavin watches after them while Connor falls backwards into Alice’s chair, running his hands down his face. Gavin chuckles. “Cute kid.”

“Yeah, she is.”

“Did she say she wants to marry you?”

Connor exhales sharply. “Yes. It’s a long story.” Gavin raises an eyebrow, so he sighs. “Before I deviated, Hank and I would go looking for deviant androids, right? Well, we went looking for Kara, who is my friend now, and I chased her and Alice down a highway. When I deviated, I apologized to them, and Alice saw my face for the first time, and from then on, whenever I see her, she talks about how pretty I am and how she’s going to marry me.”

“She was too late, then, huh?” Gavin exhales, reaching out to grab his glass and drink from it deeply. 

Upon scanning it, Connor sees that it’s just water, and smiles wide. 

They look up as the door to the reception hall opens again, and Connor softens when he sees Niles as he walks towards them, reaching up to fix his hair. He pulls out a chair at the table next to them, sinking into it and sitting stiffly. Gavin straightens as well, crossing his legs and looking away from Niles. Connor rolls his eyes.

Apparently, they slept together, and now won’t talk about it. 

Connor has had to listen to them both separately, ranting about the other and refusing to speak to anyone besides Connor. They’re both frustrated about something that Connor doesn’t understand. Sighing, Connor pats his knees, getting ready to leave them alone. “Okay. I’m getting married today. I can’t deal with your drama right now.”

“What drama?” Niles narrows his eyes, feigning confusion. Connor scoffs, standing finally, and Niles raises his hands defensively. “I know, I know. I’m joking, Connie. Calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to, ugh,” Connor sits, looking between the two of them. “Talk to each other.”

“No,” They say in unison.

A blush spreads across Gavin’s face, and he turns quickly, downing the rest of his water. He folds his arms, his gaze sticking to the table. “There’s no drama, Toaster. Don’t worry.” He shrugs, trying to seem casual. It doesn’t work. “This is your day, you’re right. No drama.”

Exhaling, Connor looks to Niles, his eyes wide. Pleading. Niles sighs. “Gavin,” Gavin doesn’t look up. Niles rolls his eyes. “Go finish getting ready, Connie. I’ll deal with the drama queen.”

“Drama queen?” Gavin slumps in his chair. “I’m not a drama queen.”

“Really? Because you’re being very dramatic.”

“I am not.”

Niles turns, patting Gavin’s shoulder. “Listen,  _ Princess, _ if you want to act like a cunt and not talk to me like an adult, that’s totally fine. I’m only saying that-”

“Well, don’t, okay? We don’t have to talk about anything and if you really expect me to-”

“If you don’t want to talk to me, maybe try not arguing against me. I think it’s implicative of who you are, and it’s extremely annoying. I am trying to be civil.” Gavin groans, turning in his chair sharply to face Niles. Connor stands, nodding to them both and exiting the room, pretending not to hear Gavin begin berating Niles for being an asshole.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**4:00pm**

Alice ends up being too excited to spread out the roses properly, and after Sumo runs through them, they’re scattered all over the place, and the walkway leading to the white arch looks messy. Connor doesn’t allow himself to freak out as he steps through the piles of blue petals, his eyes darting around to look at all of the people standing in front of their chairs. He spots Gavin as he walks by, who gives him a thumbs up after leaning over to whisper something to Tina. Connor decides not to freak out about that either, looking away from them and towards the arch itself, a smile spreading across his lips.

Two figures stand underneath, and Sumo sits patiently next to the arch, tail wagging and eyes attentive. Connor smiles at him, then looks to Markus. Markus stands at the center, a small book in his hand. Finding a pastor or a minister seemed… weird to Connor, so he helped Markus get ordained. It works out for him that way. He’ll get the publicity boost he wanted, while not ruining the wedding itself. 

Finally, Connor reaches the arch, and allows himself to look up. Tears well in his eyes as the love of his life smiles wide, showing gapped teeth.

Hank reaches up to scratch the back of his head with one hand, running through the short grey locks anxiously. His beard is trimmed, clean. He waited to shave and cut his hair until the night before, wanting to surprise Connor. It worked in his favor, he looks good, and Connor is already crying. Hank reaches out with his left hand to take Connor’s, running his thumb over Connor’s wedding band reassuringly. 

The ceremony itself is quite short. Hank didn’t want to drag things out, and when helping Markus figure out what to say, he stressed keeping it short. He insisted that it’s because he wants to hurry up and get it over with, but Connor knows that it’s because he’s nervous, too. Connor tries to reassure him through Markus’ monologue. A lot of this process is them being there for each other, and that thought alone makes Connor squirm with giddy excitedness. 

“When I first met you,” Connor keeps his hand firm against Hank’s as he speaks his vows, not blinking in fear of missing a single second of this. “I thought you were an asshole, and I really didn’t like being around you that much.” That earns a few laughs, and Connor shakes his head. “Through spending time with you, you not only made me realize how amazing you are, but you helped me figure out who I am.” He looks to his feet for a second, extending his thumb to feel the pulse in Hank’s wrist. “Before we started dating, I would watch movies in my spare time, trying to figure out how humans experienced emotions and, I fell in love with the idea of being in love.

“Every movie I saw, the goal was to find someone to love. I thought that love only came to pretty women and handsome men. People who deserved love were attractive and  _ human. _ At the time, I believed I was neither of those things. Every night, I would wonder if I even felt things. If I was wrong, I wasn’t alive. If it was just a virus or a glitch in my software. I didn’t think that being a deviant made me alive, and even if it did, I wasn’t pretty. My voice was weird and pitchy and my face was even less desirable. I tried dating a few people but neither of those relationships lasted.” Connor spares a glance at Markus, who nods understandingly. “For a while, I thought that one day I would wake up in my mind palace again. That my emotions were just some dream or simulation that wasn’t real. That some day I would wake up and be right back where I was, chasing deviant androids and attacking people of my own race.

“But,” Connor looks back at Hank, who peers back at him through wrinkled eyelids. “Love came to me in the form of a grumpy old man, and steadily, I proved those movies wrong. Love finds people who aren’t conventionally attractive or perfect. Love finds people who  _ aren’t human. _ Hank, you made me realize that I deserve to be happy. That I am alive, and that being an android doesn’t make me any less human. I am… incredibly lucky to even know someone as amazing as you, let alone be loved by you. You love me so deeply, even at times when I don’t really love myself. You make me feel just as pretty and deserving of good things as those women in the movies. You,” Connor takes a breath, reaching out with his free hand to brush against Hank’s cheekbone. “You are my favorite person in this entire world. I could die right now and it would be okay, because I would die next to you. I would die, knowing how much you love me. How much I love you. Thank you for being you, and for agreeing to marry me. Thank you for this wonderful life you have given me, because I truly do owe this life to you.

Thank you for letting me love you, and for not being afraid of how different we are. I love you, and I promise to love you for as long as I am alive. I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me.”

He swallows, his throat tightening as he watches Hank closely, trying to gauge his reaction. After a pause, Hank shakes his head, laughing to himself. “Shit, Con, how the fuck am I supposed to top that?” The guests laugh again, and Connor chuckles, too, tracing his hand through Hank’s short beard. 

Hank raises his free hand so he can hold Connor’s left hand with both of his palms, letting Connor register their warmth. He smiles softly, and Connor’s heart flips, small shocks shuddering through his spine. Hank takes a breath, his gaze falling to stare at Connor’s hand, sandwiched between his own. “Uh,” He shakes his head again, and Connor knows that he’s trying to remember his own vows. Connor has his logged in his database, but Hank wrote his by hand and spent hours committing them to memory.

“I lost my son almost seven years ago,” Hank begins, still watching Connor’s hand. “There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t miss the fuck out of that kid. And, for a while, missing him was too much for me. I was never on good terms with his mother, and I didn’t like talking to my therapist, so I would drink to stop missing him. Unfortunately, alcohol made that feeling worse, and I would end up trying to,” Hank sighs. “Anyway, without my son, I thought that there wasn’t really any reason to keep living, you know? I thought that life was out to get me, to make everything more difficult on me because of some dumb shit I used to do. Then, you know, life gave me an android.

“And, uh, God, Con, you’re fucking weird.” Connor laughs, reaching up to wipe the corner of his eye. “I blamed androids for my son’s death, and it took me a while to get over myself. But eventually, I kind of started to understand androids better. That they were alive and deserved to be free. To my surprise, my android, who was programmed to be cold and had me convinced that he would never deviate or succumb to emulated emotions, started feeling empathy.” Hank exhales, looking at Connor with sad eyes. “He left to help Markus with the aftermath of the revolution, and I didn’t see him for about a year.

“When I finally saw him again, he was the same, but so much more alive. So happy and goofy and, again, fucking weird.” Hank laughs, shaking his head again. “And I was honestly, just fine with being his friend. He convinced me to try therapy again, and I did, and it helped. Slowly, I tried to lean off of the alcohol, drink water, eat better food. Just to stay friends with this guy, because I thought that he deserved to have a friend who understood what it was like to feel lonely. He started working with me again, and every weekend he would end up on my couch just so we could watch movies together and he could spoil my fucking dog,” Sumo barks happily, knowing that Hank is talking about him. The gathering erupts with laughter, and Hank wipes his own eyes, still holding Connor’s hand. 

They quiet, and he continues. “One night, he tried to talk to me about relationships and being in love and it was… kind of weird? Like, obviously I knew that I liked him in a, uh, romantic kind of way, but I figured that it was just me being lonely and old and wanting attention more than anything else. And, uh, I was super surprised when he kissed me.” Hank smiles, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly. “Things escalated, we slept together, and I thought that it was over, then. That I would wake up and he would be gone, already at work, acting professional, pretending like it didn’t happen. My own self deprecation made me think that he wouldn’t want me anymore? I don’t know if that makes sense, but, it wasn’t true anyhow. I woke up and he was in my bed still, watching me sleep which was a little creepy and a lot weird, but it felt okay.

“We started going on actual dates, and he would always end up sleeping in my bed and hanging out with me, so, eventually I just asked him to live with me.” Hank shakes his head once more, grimacing. “Okay, honestly I fucking forgot where I was going with this, but, yeah. I don’t know, man.” Hank’s face grows red, and Connor beams, laughing at his flustered state. “Once, I wanted to die, but you made me see that life can be good sometimes. I lost my son, and I thought that meant I would never have anything else, not even happiness but… Con, you gave me a reason to live. You showed me what it means to actually be in love. I live for you, and I hope that you’re not joking when you say I make you happy.”

“I’m not,” Connor wipes his eyes again. “I’m not joking.”

“Good, because that would be shitty of you to make jokes right now.” Hank laughs, finally releasing Connor’s hand to run his own hands down his face. “Fuck, I should have brought what I wrote. I don’t know what I’m saying.”  Hank turns to Markus, face bright red. “Can you just, like, do the thing, so I can kiss him?”

Markus chuckles, nodding fervently. “Of course,” He shifts, squaring his shoulders. A breeze kicks up some of the sand, hitting against their legs. Connor smiles, briefly glancing out at the ocean before looking back at Hank, not bothering to wipe the tears away anymore. Slowly, Connor reaches out to take both of Hank’s hands, not able to hear anything other than Markus’ voice and the sound of the waves crashing against the sand behind him. “Connor, do you take Hank to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love, honor, and cherish, in sickness and health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”

Connor smiles wide, his vision blurry with tears. “I do.”

Markus repeats the words for Hank, who chokes back a sob as he whispers, “I do.”

Markus continues his spiel, and Connor can’t hear it. His heart thuds loud in his ears and his entire body feels hot. His entire being seems to vibrate, and Connor isn’t sure if it’s excitement or if he’s short-circuiting. At this point, he doesn’t care. The only thing he wants is-

“Alright, go crazy. Kiss him.”

Hank’s lips are the softest they have ever been, and Connor’s heartbeat drowns out the cheers, the barking, the waves crashing. Connor’s sensors overload with feeling, with love. He wants to explode, to fly away, but he needs to stay grounded. To stay with his feet buried in the sand, his lips against Hank’s.

Pulling back, Connor entwines his fingers with Hank’s as they step aside, making room for Markus as he quiets the cheering. “Let’s keep this energy going, shall we?” Markus gestures with his hands, palms upward. “How about a hand for Hank and Connor Anderson?”

The yelling and clapping continues as Hank and Connor walk through the aisle, ducking as the guests shower them with blue rose petals, landing softly in their hair and on the ground around them. Connor leans to bury his face in Hank’s shoulder, letting his memory replay Markus’ voice in his head, over and over.

_ Connor Anderson. Connor Anderson. Connor Anderson. _

Hank wraps his arm around Connor’s shoulder as they continue walking, and Connor begins to sob, his body shaking with each step. Finally, after all this time, Connor gets to use the only word that describes Hank. That one, delicious word that he’s been dying to use since the first time they laid on that stupid couch together, curled up under a blanket and crushed by Sumo’s weight.

Husband.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**6:15pm**

The reception is loud, for the most part. Most of the guests are androids, so it’s mostly just tables filled with people drinking and whispering amongst themselves. Connor watches them all curiously, his head propped on his hand, his elbow resting on the table. Hank rubs slow circles against the small of Connor’s back, speaking loudly to Captain Fowler, leaned on the wall beside their table. They laugh, and Connor turns to watch them instead. They’re reminiscing about something that Connor doesn’t care about, if he’s honest, so he hones his hearing onto Markus from across the room.

He’s speaking with Gavin and Tina, laughing for a moment before inviting them to the grand reopening of the Pirate’s Cove Amusement Park. They agree, and to Connor’s surprise, Gavin asks if Niles is going as well.

Gavin is getting bolder, at least. Connor will give him that.

Eventually, Markus opens the floor for toasts. Connor watched a lot of wedding preparation shows before today, so he knows vaguely what everyone is going to say in their speeches. 

He ends up being right. A lot of it is people telling funny stories about Hank or gushing about how perfect he and Connor are together. Which, is totally true. They are. But, what kind of confuses Connor is that the only people speaking are Hank’s friends. Old colleagues. Humans. He looks around the room as Officer Collins starts regaling about one time he saw Hank fall off of a building, searching for his friends. It shouldn’t upset Connor, he knows that, but it still does. Maybe they’re just shy. Or maybe they don’t care? Connor doesn’t think it’s the latter, but still. The thought stings.

Ben sits, and Markus stands to signal the next thing, but Niles bolts upright, startling everyone at his table. Connor grins, and Markus sits back down, whispering something to Kara, beside him.

“Okay,” Niles gestures with his hand vaguely, making it seem as though he doesn’t know where to start. “Androids do not have DNA.” Murmurs sound throughout the crowded space, but Niles speaks over them, not caring. “What androids  _ do _ have, is a genetic coding system that give androids of similar models the same face.” He taps his cheek. “CyberLife, when making me, decided that I should look  _ exactly _ like that asshole up there.” Connor laughs, though others don’t. He can guess where Niles is going with this, but he doesn’t interrupt, just lets him speak. 

“So, though there is no reason for us to know each other, no logical reason for us to be related in any way, shape, or form, Connor is my big brother, and I hate and love him at the same time.” He winks, and Connor rolls  his eyes, leaning over to rest his head on Hank’s shoulder. “Now, Hank,” Niles gestures again, and Hank waves. “I did not like you at first. I quickly grew tired of hearing Connie speak about you, and I loathed calls from him. Thank Ra9 I didn’t live anywhere near you, because he would call me and talk for hours about how perfect you were. I can’t even begin to fathom how I would have survived that gay shit in person.”

Hank chuckles, and Connor frowns, not enjoying this anymore. “In your vows, you spoke about the first time you slept together, and thinking that Connor stayed with you while you slept, watching you and being creepy. But, I can attest that Connor did get out of bed and call me at two in the morning to scream about you.” Connor buries his face in his hands, still leaned into Hank’s chest. He can feel it rumble with each eruption of laughter. “Three solid hours of my brother just… raving about how soft your hair was, how comfortable your bed was, how amazing you were at sex.”

“Niles!” The room laughs, and Connor peeks from behind his fingers, curious but still trying to hide. Hank continues to rub his back, shaking his head.

“As the younger brother,” Niles continues, moving to pick up his thirium-filled glass. “I was jealous. I wanted something like that, and I hated you, Hank, for being so happy.” He sighs contentedly, swirling the blue liquid. “Now, I understand that even though my brother loves you unconditionally to the point of annoyance, you reciprocate those feelings completely. You love him, too, and I am grateful that Connie has managed to find someone that makes him as happy as you do. Now that you’re married, you are, by degree, my brother as well. 

“So, I would like to make a toast,” He raises his glass, and the room follows suit. All except Sumo, who snores soundly at Connor’s feet. Connor grins wide, his own glass held high. “To found family. All biological families are formally invited to suck my ass.” The room fills with laughter, and Connor shakes his head, exhaling sharply through his nose. Niles grins wickedly. “More importantly, to Connor and Hank. May you have as much happiness as this world can offer. I love you both.”

_ “Cheers!” _

Nerves creep back into Connor’s system as he realizes, now that the toasts are over, he and Hank have to dance. It shouldn’t be something that makes him nervous, but it does still. They only practiced in the comfort of their living room. What if they’re bad at it? Connor supposes it doesn’t matter, it’s their wedding, and they’re in love. He shouldn’t care. But, it’s not until Hank holds Connor’s hand in his before Connor stops caring.

Fuck what other people think, he’s going to dance with his husband for the first time.

It takes a second for the music to start, and Connor’s breath hitches.

_ “Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head,” _

Connor moves to wrap his arms around Hank’s neck, nuzzling his head against Hank’s chest softly.

_ “And as I climb into an empty bed, oh well, enough said,” _

He inhales, wishing he had the ability to smell. He wants to remember as much of this as he can, but his lack of  senses makes him a little upset. When he replays this day in his head, he won’t know how salty the beach smelled.

_ “I know it’s over- still I cling, I don’t know where else I can go, oh,” _

Hank moves his hands to Connor’s lower back, shuffling his feet to the side so Connor can dance against him. It reminds Connor of the first time they danced to the sad sounds from an old record player.

_ “Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head,” _

Connor lifts his head a little, just enough so he can press a kiss to the nape of Hank’s neck, enjoying the small groan it elicits. 

_ “See, the sea wants to take me, the knife wants to slit me,” _

He steps on Hank’s foot and winces, relaxing only when Hank breathes,  _ “Calm down, Baby,”  _ into his ear.

_ “Do you think you can help me?” _

Connor is happy. Despite everything, he really is happy. A lot has happened, both today and the rest of the time that he’s been active. But, now Connor allows himself to feel happy. There are always things that run through his head, worries and ticks flickering across his vision like bugs that won’t leave him alone. Stressful thoughts that threaten to over take him.

_ “Sad veiled bride, please be happy,” _

Running his hands through Hank’s hair, Connor chooses to ignore any and all bad thoughts. Anything negative. Anything about the future or the past.

_ “Handsome groom, give her room,” _

Anything that isn’t right now.

_ “Loud, loutish lover, treat her kindly,” _

Connor focuses on Hank. On the person he loves more than he loves himself. On his husband. Husband. Connor replays the word in Hank’s voice through his mind, trying to drown out his insecurities.  _ Husband. _

_ “Though she needs you more than she loves you” _

Connor focuses on the amount of love he can feel right in this moment. How much he loves Hank, how much he knows Hank loves him. The love he feels coming from his supportive friends. From Sumo, still asleep.

_ “I know it’s over, still I cling,” _

From the universe. Loving Hank and Connor in this moment. Making them feel like they’re the only two beings that exist. There are a lot of things to worry about, but neither of them care, not really.

_ “I don’t know where else I can go,” _

Despite everything, they’re happy. They’re married and they’re happy.

_ “Over and over and over” _

_ “Over and over and over” _


	14. Rusholme Ruffians (Epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin goes to Pirate's Cove

**Jul 12, 2042**

**9:05pm**

The sun sets above a small amusement park, the lights on the rides and buildings slowly flickering to life. Wicked shadows cast down upon the park’s inhabitants, children laughing and running through the crowded areas to get to the rides before the park closes. A sign hangs over the billboard at the park’s entrance, covering the Pirate’s Cove logo that reads,  _ Grand Re-Opening. _

At the back of the park lies a ferris wheel, slowly spinning to a halt.

Atop it, Gavin folds his arms, looking down at the park with mild interest. He frowns down at the people crowding the place, wondering what would happen if he leaned over and spit at the ant-sized figures. After a moment of considering the consequences for that, he looks to his left, eyeing the android seated there.

Niles sits beside Gavin, his arms folded and his legs crossed. He faces the other way, looking out towards the water. Gavin, still unsure why Niles invited him up here, decides that now would be a good time to try and speak with him. Niles is very good at avoiding confrontation, Gavin has come to learn, and he figures that being stopped way up here is going to keep Niles from dodging this conversation. Though, he doesn’t put it past Niles to jump off of the fucking ferris wheel.

They have to talk about them.

There’s a lot to discuss, and Gavin himself wasn’t ready to talk about what happened between them until after Hank and Connor’s wedding. Watching them dance together, so happy and so in love made Gavin want something similar. Something caring and warm. So, if he has no chance of getting that sort of relationship out of sleeping with Niles, he needs to know. Hell, Gavin is almost forty now. He’s got to settle down at some point.

Gavin sighs, dreading this, but still is somehow excited. “What am I to you?”

Niles doesn’t respond, his arms still folded and his gaze still fixed out on the darkening horizon. 

Scooting closer, Gavin leans towards Niles’ ear. “Look, Dude. We have to talk. You asked me to come up here with you, so, obviously you wanted to talk about something. And, if you don’t tell me what it is, I’m going to ask you about your feelings and make you uncomfortable and-”

“Maybe I just wanted to watch the sunset.” Niles tips his head, not looking down at Gavin. “Don’t be so conceited.”

“You… wanted to watch the sunset,” Gavin raises an eyebrow. “With me?”

“Correct.”

Gavin whistles, shaking his head. “That’s… okay.” He runs a hand down his face, crinkling his nose. “So, I’ll ask my question again. What am I to you?”

Niles groans, gritting his teeth and glancing down at Gavin before looking back out. “I don’t know.”

“So, what? Do you want to date me, or?”

“No.”

“Great,” Gavin smacks his hands against his thighs, sliding back to the other side of the seat to peer back down at the people below. “So we can stop being weird, and we won’t have sex again.” Niles makes a noise, and Gavin turns to look up at him, lips pursed. “What?”

Finally, Niles turns, facing Gavin with his entire body. Gavin sinks back against the metal of the compartment wall. “I-” Niles searches for the right words, watching Gavin for a few moments. Gavin would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated. “I want to continue this.”

“Continue what? Dating?”

“We are not dating.” Niles shakes his head. “I mean, I would like to continue sleeping with you. You’re… good.” 

Gavin frowns. “Okay,” He pauses, not knowing if he should continue or not.

When he goes to speak again, Niles talks over him. “I would like to keep things where they are, though. If you don’t mind.” Gavin must make a face, because he elaborates. “I can tell from scanning your heart rate that you want more from me. You want some form of relationship. Correct?” Gavin nods. “Right, well, I do not. I have expressed to you my abhorrence for romanticism, and I need to know that you respect that, and that you won’t try to obtain anything other than sex from me.”

Quiet falls over them for a few minutes. Gavin looks past Niles out at the water, processing his request. Honestly, Gavin doesn’t know if he can do that. He likes Niles too much. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but now, Gavin almost regrets sleeping with Niles at all. It’s made this entire situation way more complicated than it was, even back when Niles was threatening to murder him every ten seconds. Gavin should have stuck to quiet pining. Slowly, he nods. “Yeah, I respect that.”

Niles looks down at Gavin, his blue eyes narrowing in disbelief. “You’re willing to keep this casual?”

_ No. _ “Yes,”

Nodding, Niles tips his head again. “You don’t care if I continue this kind of relationship with other people? You won’t succumb to jealousy?”

_ Other people. _ He means North, and Gavin sighs. He figured this would be the case. “I just told you, we’re good.” Part of Gavin’s brain doesn’t want him to agree to whatever this is. A tiny voice tells him that he needs to be with someone who wants to be with him, too. But a majority of his brain wants him to keep getting laid, so, fuck it. “It’s cool. I don’t care.”

Niles nods again, his features softening as he leans back against the seat, relaxing. “Good,” He scratches at the back of his hand, adjusting the sleeves of his sweater. “I was worried that seeing my brother get married made you want to settle down or something.” 

It did, of course, but Niles doesn’t need to know that. Gavin shrugs, trying to act casual. “Nah, getting married?”  _ Sounds amazing, would love to do it. Maybe have kids. _ “It’s not for me, Man. Too much responsibility. I’m too slutty to tie down.”

“That’s debatable.”

It takes a second for Gavin to register the joke, and he snorts, shaking his head. “Fuck you, you know what I mean.”

“I do,” Niles concedes, looking back out at the water. 

Gavin watches him curiously, staring at his LED. It’s blinking yellow, and Gavin wishes he could read people as easily as Niles can. That he knew exactly what Niles what thinking about that makes his LED sputter like that. “You know, you and Connor are very different.” Niles nods, agreeing. Gavin begins listing their differences. “He’s way nicer than you, and a better cop, honestly.” Niles tenses. “But he’s also, like, a twink, and covered in tattoos and-”

“Ugh,” Niles scoffs. “Tattoos.”

“What?” Gavin jerks his head back. “You don’t like tattoos? But you’re so… edgy.” Briefly, Gavin feels self conscious of the fact that Niles has seen him naked, and seen Gavin’s own tattoo.

“They’re a waste, really.” Niles shrugs, keeping his gaze on the water. “Tattoos for androids don’t make sense. The varnish will slowly chip away and the paint will wash off. It’s a waste of time.”

Gavin laughs a little, trying to engage while also keeping the conversation on their relationship. Maybe if he hints at it enough, Niles will at least take him to dinner. “So, what, if we ever actually dated,  _ hypothetically,” _ He throws that word in to prevent Niles from freaking out. “You wouldn’t get my name tattooed on you somewhere?”

“No. Scars make more feasible sense.”

“Scars?”

“Yes.”

“What does that have to do with-”

“Do you have a pen?” Gavin pats down his jacket. He does. He hands it to Niles, who grips it in his right hand while rolling up the sleeve on his left arm, exposing his skin by his wrist. Gavin’s mouth falls open as Niles begins to dig the pen into his synthetic flesh, not even bothering to click the pen and activate the ink. The sound of plastic scraping against plastic makes Gavin shiver, and he recoils back into the seat. He jumps when Niles shoves the pen back into his hands, punching his fist into Gavin’s chest a bit too hard. Then, he holds his arm out, and Gavin laughs.

The word Gavin sits, embedded in the exposed plastic. It glows blue underneath, live wires sending sparks outside of Niles’ arm.

Gavin sputters. “You know,” He reaches out to touch the letters, tracing the perfect handwriting and jumping when it shocks him. “You’re fucking crazy.”

“Yes, I am.” Niles grins, then huffs a laugh, leaning in to kiss Gavin on the mouth. 

The ferris wheel jerks, and they start to move again, back towards the ground. Gavin wonders what’s going to happen from here on out, even with Niles’ tongue down his throat. He wonders how he’s going to handle just sleeping with this maniac, when every time Niles touches him, he feels sparks. Little jolts of energy, bubbling in his stomach and lingering wherever Niles touches.

Now, the sparks are literal, and he runs his hand down Niles’ exposed arm to feel the electricity, wanting to burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on twitter @cannibalspaghet


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